Ron Blackwood takes us on his baseball journey that started off as a fan in the states when he moved there as an 18 year old and then playing in the UK when he returned, did I mention that his "rookie of they year" season came when he was in his 50s? He gives tips on if you think you are too old, playing through the season and what's in store for the future and also some great chat about Baseball Cards and much more.

all round top dude Said Bayan joins the show to talk about the Birmingham Metal Heads, Starting up a youth training session purely out of the love of wanting to help kids develop, an unusual way to find a love of baseball after not being into it previously, his passions away from the diamond, Anime chat and much, much more.

John return to the show to talk to Matt and Gilles about his eventful 2023, his highlights of WBC fame, outfits and games, tips for following GB overseas, pink hot pants, u14 and u16 European and African qualifiers in Prague, Confederations cup fun in Croatia and being the home plate ump for the gold medal game plus more!

if you'd like to share your 2023 highlights, please feel free to get in touch britishbaseballpodcast@gmail.com

"Everybody should get a chance" GB baseball Hall of Famer Alex Malihoudis, The first British player to win medals in 2 different European Championships and a regular fixture in the GB setup topping many offensive category lists in the 1990s and 2000s joins the show. He lead the National Baseball League in hits and runs scored also winning the NBL best defensive short stop in 2008, stolen bases in 2005 and won the batting crown in 1998 in the National Premier League South with a batting average of .564, described as a key defender at short stop or centre field.  He talks about the early days and being the 4th member of the Tonbridge Bobcats, Margret Burley MBE, the hardest bloke in Tonbridge, how his baseball heroes were not MLB players but home grown talents, why Catching was his favourite position he's played, meeting Craig Savage and wanting to play at the highest level, playing in the states at highschool and college, playing in the same leagues that Tom Brady had played in, the importance of regular game time, which MLB coach slept in his bunk bed, overcoming injury at a pivotal point in his career, anxiety in games, driving in winning runs in crucial games and more all with a very special guest cohost (and Alex's long time friend and team mate) Will Lintern, who Alex had no idea was joining the episode, so i took a back seat and let the 2 of them chat about baseball and careers and its a fascinating and interesting conversation im excited to be able to share with you. please dont forget to like the content (if you enjoyed it), share with friends and leave a comment where possible, it goes a long way to helping the show. Speaking of which, if you can spare a few quid to help with the running of this podcast, head over to www.buymeacoffee.com/britbaseballpod where your contributions can help towards software, hardware and packages needed to run the show.  if you have a baseball story, or you know someone who does or maybe you'd like to have your team come on the show and talk about its history and you'd like to hear them on the podcast, please contact the show at britishbaseballpodcast@gmail.com

'ive got a lot of faith in the heart' Pepe Anderson joins the show to talk us through the East London Latin Boys, why its not just for Latino males and the perfect place to play if you want to learn Spanish and play fun baseball. Pepe also takes us on his own personal journey through the sport and talks about his desire to open a baseball school for any child and how important family and the family environment is to his baseball club

Part 2 of the new monthly segment looking at British baseball history month by month.

This episode wouldnt be possible without pioneers such as Josh Chetwynd, Harvey Sahker, Joe Gray, Gabriel Fidler and Matt Smith plus many more.

you can buy Josh Chetwynds - Baseball in Europe here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baseball-Europe-Country-History/dp/0786437243

Harvey Sahkers - the Blokes of Summer - https://www.lulu.com/shop/harvey-sahker/the-blokes-of-summer/ebook/product-18599563.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Project Cobb - http://www.projectcobb.org.uk/

and of course, please check out the incredible work at @extrainningsUK - https://extrainningsbaseball.wordpress.com/

and if you can support the podcast, please head to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/britbaseballpod

thank you as always for your continued support.

Craig Savage joins the show to talk about his time with the Buccaneers and what baseball was like in the late 90s and early 2000s in the south of England. Their blue print for success in the UK and europe, favourite memories including national championships, knocking the tournament favourites out at the semi finals of a European final competition, players traveling from all over the UK to be a part of their club in the Rawlings National League, MLB player John Foster, training in the states and being a part of something magical in San Diego with Tony Gwynn and how not to make a team mates bed. If you can support this independent podcast, please consider a little donation to help me run the podcast https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BritBaseballPod

"your body can't digest grass..." Newly inducted #BritishBaseball Hall of Famer Martin "Goddy" Godsall joins the show alongside him is fellow @liverpoolTrojan Ian Blease as Matts co-host.  they give insight into how at 15, a PE teacher helped launch his 30+ year career, the importance of working with a great catcher, developing a competitive mindset, how he hates walking batters and how it got him into a spot of bother, a motivating speech that turned a 15 run deficit in the 9th into an unexpected victory, Norman wells, missed strikes = beer, Italian hospitality and much much more. 

thank you as always for supporting the podcast, if you feel that you can help a little more, you can pop over to Podhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/BritBaseballPod any small donation goes toward helping fund the show and gets reinvested into the podcast.  thank you.

New monthly segment kicks off looking at British baseball history by month. 

This episode wouldnt be possible without pioneers such as Josh Chetwynd, Harvey Sahker, Joe Gray, Gabriel Fidler and many more.

you can buy Josh Chetwynds - Baseball in Europe here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baseball-Europe-Country-History/dp/0786437243

Harvey Sahkers - the Blokes of Summer - https://www.lulu.com/shop/harvey-sahker/the-blokes-of-summer/ebook/product-18599563.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Project Cobb - http://www.projectcobb.org.uk/

and of course, please check out the incredible work at @extrainningsUK - https://extrainningsbaseball.wordpress.com/  

and if you can support the podcast, please head to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/britbaseballpod

thank you as always for your continued support.

"why not you?" Season 2 kicks of with a bang, hear GB Hall of Famer and hitting coach to the stars, Brad Marcelino (who is team GBs all time leading record holder for the most European championships appearances as a player) talk about hitting tips, his hitting consultancy, the 65 MLB draft picks, (3 of which were 1st rounders) he's worked with, Kris Bryant, his family background, playing highlights, his GB days and your listeners questions.

Big up and lots of love to all those involved in making season 1 so incredible and an amazing journey, feel privilaged to have met and spoken to so many amazing people out there in the british baseball community and across the globe. Im already planning and preparing for 2021 and i cannot wait for you to be a part of it

"that game you played on 2nd base in a duffle coat wasnt your best"  for the season finale(ish) Matt is joined by former guests and fellow podcasters in Ian Blease, John McKellar, Ian Rudd, Earl Dix, Charlie Batho and Tim French as they chat about their season or lack of one, what will bring them back in 2021 and some fun "round the table" chat about British Baseball.  thanks for all the support this year, looking forward to 2021 already

Baseball Clubs of Britain, lets come together and share best practices and what's working for our clubs to help other teams with ideas. Back in July after the Bristol baseball club interview finished recording, there was an idea floated, why dont the baseball clubs help each other out with their best practices? What does your team do well that you think others might benefit from? The Think Tank ideas was set in motion.  This week Matthew is joined by Bristol Chairman Richard Evans (@richwevans) and Bracknell Manager Jak Ford-Lane (@Jakfordlane) to discuss how it could work and how we could help each other.  I hope you find this first step useful and i will work through the winter to get a site set up and email as many clubs as possible, but if you want to get in touch before then, my email is britishbaseballpodcast@gmail.com  Please dont think this is me telling you how to run your baseball club, i just want to try and do a bit more to help the clubs out there.

GB player Rose Bhanji joins the show to talk about issues for female players in British Baseball, London Mets and the creation of Mayhem, her dance background, how bouncy balls can transcend language barriers and become ice breakers, inclusion, small things that can make a big difference, the drew Spencer effect, being part of the first ever GB women senior national team in Montpellier, her interaction with 2 young female players and the struggles they all share, wanting to play in the European Pro Leagues, her passions on and off the field, her Mount Rushmore of British Baseball people and more.

Jessica Vernon (@Jesicamaevernon) joins the show to talk us through the female all star team that is the Southern Belles and talks us through her first taste of competitive action as a team, her managerial debut, the difficult choice between playing baseball and softball in 2021, getting ball played in schools and where she thinks womens baseball will be in 5 years. https://m.facebook.com/SouthernBellesBaseball/

I had the pleasure of meeting Richard at the Battle for Britain event in September 2020 and he told me the story of how the Essex Arrows was formed by his dad and the stories of the contents of the club house, so i invited him on to the show to talk some more and he doesn't disappoint.

Richard takes us on a journey through his baseball upbringing, playing in America and across Europe with Great Britain, plus just as he made his baseball debut at an early age, his little one makes an appearance on the podcast.

like father like son :)

I've been extremely privileged to speak to some amazing artists and creators during this project of the Negro League fundraiser, my guest tonight is no exception, Graig Kreindler is an extremely talented artist who has produced some stunning work on baseball cards and you have to see his panoramic and....well, go see for yourself at www.graigkreindler.com and check out his instagram and twitter @graigkreindler  we chat about the role of baseball in his life, why he does what he does, his influences and what the Negro Leagues mean to him and the Athletes from that era.  you dont want to miss thins one

'Join us at the buffet of Knowledge'.  Andy Browns work is nothing short of amazing, he is probably best know for his work painting Baseball Stadiums live at the ball parks. At the time of this writing, i own 5 or 6 pieces of his work, including an original that i got for my 40th, so you can imagine i was extremely excited to have my friend back on the show (he's been a guest before, you can find his episode where ever you get your podcast or by this link - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/british-baseball-podcast/id1493864870  In this chat we discuss his art hut, his style of work and his involvement in the Negro League Baseball fundraiser and what these amazing athletes and league mean to him. Check out his YouTube Channel here to see his research with Sabr Analysts who are helping to help us make a decision on who to vote for in his poll.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCITkpNzGCf_6fNOJhHj06yg  www.andybrownstadiums.com  don't forget to check out the Nergo Baseball League Museum page on twitter @NLBMart and also head over to www.dugoutclassics.com to get your ticket to win an amazing price, proceeds going to the Negro League Baseball Museum and tickets are £5

Aaron Hill is an extremely talented Illustrator who combines his love of baseball and baseball cards with his art and Skateboards as canvases. He is best known for his unique, artistic take on replicating sports cards and vintage photos on a larger scale.  we chat about the role of baseball in his life, why he does what he does, his influences and favourite baseball cards, what the Negro Leagues mean to him and the Athletes from that era.  check out his instagram https://www.instagram.com/4aronhill/?hl=en and his website https://aaronhill.info/ for more of his amazing work.  don't forget to check out the Nergo Baseball League Museum page on twitter @NLBMart and also head over to www.dugoutclassics.com to get your ticket to win an amazing price, proceeds going to the Negro League Baseball Museum and tickets are £5

Bens incredible art is made up from cut up sports cards, it really is a sight to behold. He shares an insight into his process and how he builds up his images, near misses on cutting up important cards and how his old job working in Physics helped him to build an algorithm to help with a piece of work.  you can find Ben on Instagram and twitter - @card_mosaics  and his website is https://sportscardmosaics.com/ which i urge you all to go and check out and be in awe.  also be sure to check out the Nergo Baseball League Museum page @NLBMart

joining Matt this week is the 2018 BSUK award winner for "Services to Coaching" Paul Vernon (@PaulVernon63). His involvement in British baseball spans 30 years and his 5 page coaching CV is still growing.  this episode, we get to know Paul and what made him want to leave a career as an engineer to get involved in British baseball, his involvement in the GB set-up, working with the San Francisco Giants international coaching development program and how can we make youth baseball thrive again in the UK

As part of the 100 year anniversary of the Negro Leagues, i had been asked to interview some artists taking part in the fundraiser for the Negro League Museum (NBLMart.com) and i had the absolute pleasure of speaking to contemporary artist Bart Cooper (IG - b_art1) about his inspirations, art growing up, his style and who he's drawing and why for the Negro League fundraiser event. After seeing his work on Instagram, i knew i had to speak to this talented individual and we had a great chat before the camera started rolling.   Be sure to check out his incredible work on Instagram as mentioned above and why not check out his websites for more jaw dropping artwork.  www.bartcooperart.com  www.mdbybartcooper.com  you can find all the incredible artists and their work for the fundraiser at www.NLBMart.com  thanks Bart, you were superb. Much love.

Former BBF President Earl Dix opens up and chats with Matt this week as they talk about how baseball helped him during his turbulent childhood in South Africa, his playing and coaching days, his highlights, THE job interview that shaped British Baseball and dealing with the pressures and challenges of being the British Baseball Federation president

not to long ago, i asked the question "What if Baseball was in the 2012 London Olympics?" just to start a bit of chatter on social media, then i received a message from John Boyd (CEO of BSUK) as he's on the National Olympic Committee and was the acting link person between the London bid team and the WBSC (World Baseball and Softball Confederation) and he offered us the chance to go through the bidding process and what happened.  of course i said yes! i hope you enjoy this conversation, let me know what you think the landscape of Baseball in the UK would be like now if we had been successful.

Jonathan Rodriguez and Gabriel Fidler (@ExtraInningsUK and Mr Baseball) join to give us an insight into University Baseball in the UK, some history, the drunken cup era, what you can do if you're going to a university, or you know someone who is going to uni that doesn't have a baseball team, how uni teams can help grow the sport and help GB players, BUCS and a tonne more.

21 year old Matt Moran joins the show this week and chats with Matt about his time in the GB set up, his plans for the future and a few other stories from his time in British Baseball and his dedication to playing and coaching ball where he can

news from the BBF open tournament quarter finals and the news from the EoEBL and WMBL

'its a great game and a very rewarding game for those who dare to venture'   This week Matt is joined by Great Britain Hall of Famer Gavin Marshall and they talk about family, inspiring characters, the grind of trying to get to the majors, Barcelona, his favourite memories from playing in 4 decades of baseball, what he thinks of the current state of british baseball and listener questions.  there is some superb advice for baseball players young and old as he talks us through his pre game prep and bullpen routines.  you can find Gavin on social media @gavin_marshall

This weeks BBF open tournament roundup plus interview with Rob at Herts Londoners Baseball Club and David Martin Baez from the Liverpool Torjans

Matt invites Chris Ward from TESBUK podcast and Guildford Mavericks to co-host a conversation with GB u18 Jonathan Rodriguez in a "few mates in the pub having a beer and talking about baseball" kinda vibe. J-rod was the designated driver of the 3 and had sparkling water whilst the other 2 had a beer and chatted baseball in an experimental segment called "beers and baseball".  the trio had a blast talking british baseball, lancashire legends and interesting coaching methods. Great fun

Weekly round up from all the british baseball action from the West Midlands Baseball League with interviews from Luke Borton of the Worcester Sourcerers, South West Baseball League with Jo Lenton of the Bristol Buccaneers,  Lancashire Legends coach Jonathan Rodriguez and Andreas Johannes of Norwich Iceni in the British Baseball Federation open tournament

Jon takes Matt on a verbal journey through his playing career and his passion for youth baseball in this country, his call up to the GB national team, big European games, the Kent bucs travel team and also setting up baseball teams programs in Northern Ireland, plus listeners questions. You can find Jon and his baseball store on facebook and online www.coachcartersfieldsports.co.uk and he's on twitter @crashcarterk @cartersports @kentknights and @bucstravelteam

Most of the Action from this weekends BBF tournament and WMBL, plus interviews with Rich Minford, Brendan Powers of the London Mets and Some of the future GB players involved in the Lancashire Legends game

This week Matt is joined by Baseball Softball UK CEO John Boyd (@boydy11), he talks his love of baseball as a child in South Africa to landing on our shores and starting his own ball club at the age of 12.

John also takes us through the new BSUK Development Charter and Stratergy, PLUS listeners questions

round up from all the British baseball action from those teams involved in the active leagues 

Pavel Chadim is the National Team Manager of the Czech Republic National Baseaball Team, he took time out of his busy schedule (its Prague Baseball Week at the time of the recording) to talk about how the Czech Mens Senior Team qualified for the World Baseball Classic with Homegrown players. His baseball journey at the age of 16 and how it lead to the national team, what keeps him motivated and how he keeps growing as a manager, how does baseball as a sport compare to other sports in Czech Republic, What was the state of baseball 30 years ago and how has it progressed and how it was achieved, What does the most successful league club look like and is it the blueprint for other teams to follow, How does the Czech Republic produce so many great players, both pitching focus, International success, the WBC in 2023, listeners questions and much more.

Matt is joined this week by managers from teams playing out of the East of England Baseball League (@EstEngBaseball) Dan Sewell From the Cambridge Royals (@CambsBaseball) and Martin Moloney from the Northants Centurions (@Northantsbball), they talk about their clubs and how they promote them locally, their history in the British baseball game, how they came to the East of England Baseball League and Dan gives an insight into Cambridge being a hotbed for womens baseball in the East of England

British baseball is back for a lot of us, here is a round up and scores from the BBF open tournament and other leagues in action. you can also watch the show on youtube, just search for British Baseball Podcast (and subscribe if you arent already pleeeeease)

This weeks special guest is Great Britain U23 pitcher Paul Kirkpatrick as he and Matt talk about his time playing in Australia, Germany, Holland and of course, that legendary game against the Dutch.  you can follow Paul on Twitter @DJ_PaulyK

"we should be sharing good practice..." Joining Matt on this weeks episode is Chairman of Bristol Baseball Club (@BristolBaseball) Richard Evans (@richwevans) and head coach Rhod Theaker talk about Bristol being a hotbed for baseball, their 4 teams - the Badgers, Bats, Buccaneers and Bobcats, some club history and they chat about what they'd like to see in British Baseball

"if she can see it, she can be it". its Women in baseball week and joining me on this episode is Doris Hocking (@WBUKbaseball) the GB womens national team general manger, Laura Hirai (@LOORRRY) and film maker Cami Kidder (@TLAGmovie). in this episode, we discuss the difficulties of being a woman in a male dominated sport, changes we can make, a celebration of women in baseball and the Throw Like a Girl movie. enjoy!

This is the listeners questions part of the podcast with Jonny, Josh and Erik, some great questions asked and some superb answers, plus the reveal of the winning questions to get a copy of Four Bases - https://twitter.com/JoelFourBases/status/1281152814954184704

"Leslie Nielsen was in a movie about curling" British baseball TV MVPs Jonny, Josh and Erik are returning to us with a brand new podcast, but what can you expect?  Parental Advisory - there is bad language from the get go, but this is loads of fun, the gang talk about MLB on 5 memories and what is due to come in their up and coming new podcast. listeners questions are the bonus material so be sure to check them out to see who wins a copy of Joel Baileys (@joelfourbases) publication - Four Bases MLB review, full of player and team info, plus more. - https://twitter.com/JoelFourBases/status/1281152814954184704 follow the show @Jonnyandjosh and their individual accounts here @jonnyMGould @joshchetwynd and @erikjanssen

"don't be afraid to live your own truth" Most 10 year olds read Harry Potter and comic books, this weeks guest at 10 was in hot pursuit of a copy of "Road to Redemption" by British author Craig W. Thomas. Matt is joined by Ryan Ferguson, he's had work published by BBC sport, the Guardian, MLB.com and the British Baseball Federation, his second book entitled "Conflict: The Yankees, the Red Sox and the War for My Heart" is out now and is a damn good read, it explores Ryan's early love of baseball and how he quit being a life long Boston Redsox fan and do the unimaginable, he started rooting for their arch rivals, the New York Yankees. Really enjoyed this conversation, some great tips for anyone wanting to write, but don't take my word for it, have a listen and don't forget to support Ryan by purchasing his book too. Ryan can be found on Twitter @RyanFergusonHQ and his website is www.ryanferguson.co.uk the book is available on Amazon here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Conflict-Yankees-Red-Sox-Heart/dp/B089M1J3CM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ryan+ferguson&qid=1593979001&sr=8-1

"surround yourself with the right people". Richard Brereton (@rbrereton3) joins Matt for a chat about baseball and his recent transfer to Duke College, his first GB home run and the importance of having goals and following through with them, he's also got some great advice for youth players too.

"Baseball is a game of failure..." Matt is joined by Ballcaps and Bagpipes podcast (Capsandpipes) host John McKellar (@johncapspipes) and Baseball Scotland Hall of Famer Jason Derr (@bubbaonbaseball and @dugoutclassics) as they talk about their Baseball clubs the Glasgow Comets and the Edinburgh Cannons in a team review and they also chat about their awesome podcast and their baseballing lives, plus some shameless plugs for Dugout classics, baseball fears and favourite Baseball video games  apparently there is a swear in here, so listener and viewer discretion is advised,  but i dont know where it is (if it exists) and matt refers to John as being the son of WWF wrestler Big Boss Man, which isn't true. be sure to follow the gents on social media, check out their show on https://open.spotify.com/show/4ORJuOqkqi7Fy9X9H5A4zR

a new audio news letter invites members of the governing bodies of all the British baseball federations and leagues to come together to share news, updates, results and up and coming events in a new monthly fanzine segment. This month we have BBs President, Tom Thornill talking about the British Baseball Federation Our Future 2023-2035 release.

"in ten years, no one has hit a home run at Manchesters home ground". Matt is joined by Manchester baseball player and former manager Ian "Margy" Marginson and Manchester Bees Outfielder and social media guru Adam Heyden as they talk about the club history and origins in 1947 and recent highlights of the team. Those who want to see an amazing shirt should head over to the YouTube channel and check out Margys customer designer shirt. For more information on the Manchester baseball club and how you can get involved, head over to @mancbaseball and https://www.manchesterbaseballclub.co.uk/ if you would like to come on the show and talk about your team and its history, please contact the show at britishbaseballpodcast@gmail.com Project Cobb website is http://www.projectcobb.org.uk/

"be meticulous and relentless about the small things that add up to the big results..." Joining Matt on todays show is Team GB u18 and 'Legends Baseball' head coach Jonathan Rodriguez (@jrod__9), listen in amazement as they talk kids TV, his baseballing journey from player to coach and how coaching overseas resulted in the biggest win of his life? J-Rod also chats about his amazing Legend Baseball program in California, its drafted players, how he makes the most of his time when coaching and who his favourite team is and its not who you'd think! be a friend and check him out  and be sure to look at the Legends Baseball program at https://www.legendsbaseball.club   

"in the 21 hours you're not playing baseball, that's when the important stuff happens." all round top dude Jonathon Cramman (@coachcramman) tells us about his rise to the team GB national team and how his attitude and devotion to learning helped in overcoming difficulties as a young athlete and prepared him for his future in the British Baseball game. chock full of advice and amazing stories, this is a must hear episode.