Hooks & Runs – Details, episodes & analysis

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 Apple Podcasts

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

Seth S. Tannenbaum, Ph.D. is assistant professor of sports studies at Manhattanville University and author of Bleacher Seats and Luxury Suites: Democracy and Division at the Twentieth-Century Ballpark (University of Illinois Press 2026). 

The book speaks to the fan experience at Major League Baseball games in the twentieth century and examines changing understandings of urban space, inclusion, and democracy in the U.S.

Seth Tannenbaum's webpage (with discount code for Bleacher Seats). https://sethtannenbaum.com/research-description/

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

Joseph Natalicchio is the author of "Baseball's Most Outrageous Promotions: From Wedlock and Headlock Day to Disco Demolition Night" (McFarland 2025), released earlier in December. This is a wonderful book - we discuss everything from Disco Demolition Night to the night fans tore apart a ballpark while game played on to why baseball promotions have gotten so boring! 

Joseph was a gracious guest and we hope you enjoy this chat.

Here is the link to the book at McFarland (link above):
https://tinyurl.com/promotions121125
...or buy the book at the affiliate link below.

Please consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns 

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.

Life got in the way this week so we reached back into the archives for this interesting interview with Prof. Levy in January 2022. Here are the show notes from that episode:

This week we discuss Hall of Fame southpaw, Rube Waddell with his biographer, Professor Alan Levy. Levy, a professor of history at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, published, "Rube Waddell: The Zany, Brilliant Life of a Strikeout Artist" in 2000. Waddell was not only one of baseball's most talented pitchers in the first decade of the last century -- he stands out as one of the most colorful and unpredictable personalities as well. Join us for this exciting interview about one of baseball's most interesting personalities.

Errata: In 1901, they were the Chicago Orphans, not the Chicago Cubs, as we discussed in Episode 77.

-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN
-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns

Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com
Hooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandruns
Hooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandruns
Andrew Eckhoff on Tik Tok
Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Rex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/  
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)      

Rex and Craig are on the case, from Luke Combs' "Fast Car" cover and performance at the Grammy Awards Show with songwriter Tracy Chapman; to our review of this year's Super Bowl halftime show starring Usher and friends; to our inquiring why some people get so triggered by Taylor Swift to Houston Astros pitchers and catchers reporting. Also, Craig has a couple of Tik Tok stories.

Errata: Not really an error, but the quote from the Whatever Podcast is, "It's very convenient that women waited until after one of the most deadly and brutal wars to secure their right to vote." The vampire's name in "Nosferatu" (1922) was Graf Orlok, played by Max Schreck. The film starring Willem Defoe was "Shadow of the Vampire," not "Kiss of the Vampire." Craig replaced "Possum Kingdom" with Delta Spirit's "How 'Bout It." It's not made clear, but Nicky Minaj settled with Tracy Chapman. The "Mark" in Devo is Mark Mothersbaugh.

Some Links
Chris Willman, "Nicki Minaj Agrees to Pay Tracy Chapman $450,000 in Settlement Over Unauthorized Sample," Variety.com, January 8, 2021.
Nick DeRiso, "Why Don't Rock Bands Play the Super Bowl Halftime Show Anymore?" at UltimateClassicRock.com, February 7, 2024.
Max Pilley, "Dua Lipa thinks people don’t want pop stars to be 'political' or 'smart'" NME.com January 21, 2024.

-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN
-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns

Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com
Hooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandruns
Hooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandruns
Andrew Eckhoff on Tik Tok
Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Rex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ 
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)   
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024 all rights reserved.    

Harris Cooper, Ph.D. is the  Hugo L. Blomquist Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University and for our more immediate purposes author of "Finding America in a Minor League Ballpark: A Season Hosting for the Durham Bulls" (Skyhorse, 2024). He is our guest this week to talk about his book and the joys of baseball.

Errata: Ron Shelton wrote and directed "Bull Durham."

Episodes Mentioned
148 - Baseball Is the Story of America w/ Derick McDuff

-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN
-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns

Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com
Hooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandruns
Hooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandruns
Andrew Eckhoff on Tik Tok
Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Rex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ 
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024, all rights reserved.  

This week Craig and Rex conclude the three-part series ranking the first generation concrete and steel ballparks build prior to the Great Depression. This episode includes the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium in New York City, Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston.

Episodes Mentioned
127 - The Old Ballparks Project, Part I
184 - Class Warfare in Detroit!: The Old Ballparks Project, Part 2

Sources:
Philip J. Lowry, "Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebration of Major League and Negro League Ballparks (Walker & Co. 2006).
Al Kamen, "High Court Throws Out Baseball Suit," Washington Post (Oct. 12, 1988) (accessed January 13, 2024).
Wikipedia for the ballparks and ball clubs mentioned and the sources cited therein.
www.baseball-reference.com

-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN
-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns

Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com
Hooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandruns
Hooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandruns
Andrew Eckhoff on Tik Tok
Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Rex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ 
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)    
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024, all rights reserved.  

Professor Katherine Rye Jewell (Fitchburg State) joins us this week to discuss her new book "Live from the Underground: A History of College Radio" (Univ. North Carolina 2023). Jewell relates in her wonderful book and this interview how college radio progressed from a sleepy "left of the dial" collegiate training ground to a major force in the popular music business, and the struggles and controversies students and administrators confronted along the way.

Professor Jewell on Twitter/X, Linktree

The Links:
Professor Katherine Rye Jewell:
https://katejewell.wordpress.com/
Professor Jewell is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/katisjewell
Professor Jewell is on Linktree; https://linktr.ee/katherinejewell
Live from the Underground at University of North Carolina Press:
https://uncpress.org/book/9781469677255/live-from-the-underground/

If you enjoyed this episode you will probably enjoy:
134 - An Inside Look at College Radio w/ Ana Cubas
102 - SST Records & The Sound of the Underground w/ Jim Ruland

Just for fun -- The Replacements, "Left of the Dial," from their 1987 LP "Tim."

-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN
-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns

Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com
Hooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandruns
Hooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandruns
Andrew Eckhoff on Tik Tok
Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Rex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ 
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)  
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024, all rights reserved.  

It's been a minute but Rex and Craig this week pick up the old ballparks project started in Episode 127. Andrew, Craig and Rex ranked the 14 brick, concrete and steel ballparks build between 1909 and 1923 (with the Baker Bowl, built in 1895 thrown in for good measure) based upon several factors we don't remember and didn't exactly follow. This episode includes the middle tier - the ballparks that emerged from the process ranked 6-10.

Also this week Hooks & Runs remembers Merv Connors, a ballplayer who played parts of two seasons for the White Sox in the late 1930s.

Episodes mentioned:
172 - They Were Two People Desperate to Stay in the Game w/ Bob LeMoine

Errata: Craig, it's Comiskey Park, not Comiskey Field.  Craig, it was Ralph Terry, not Bill Terry. Craig, Ralph Kiner led the National League in home runs every year from 1946 to 1952, not from 1947 to 1954. Mazeroksi's blast was the first walk-off home run in World Series history, not in history. The Yankees outscored the Pirates in the 1960 World Series 55-27, not 54-27.

Sources:
Philip J. Lowry, "Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebration of Major League and Negro League Ballparks (Walker & Co. 2006).
Al Kamen, "High Court Throws Out Baseball Suit," Washington Post (Oct. 12, 1988) (accessed January 13, 2024).
Wikipedia for the ballparks and ball clubs mentioned and the sources cited therein.
www.baseball-reference.com

-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN
-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns

Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com
Hooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandruns
Hooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandruns
Andrew Eckhoff on Tik Tok
Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Rex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ 
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat) 
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024, all rights reserved.       

Bill Lamb is our guest this week to discuss the sad and tragic Len Koenecke. Koenecke played three seasons for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the Great Depression. The Dodgers released Koenicke in September, 1935 while the team was in St. Louis and sent him home to New York by plane with two other players. Koenecke never made it home in a story filled with both mystery and tragedy.

Bill Lamb, an award-winning researcher and writer with the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) and Koenecke's biographer on the SABR to relive Koenecke's life, baseball career and fateful journey on that September day and night in 1935.

Bill Lamb's biographical essay about Len Koenecke.

Errata: Len Koenecke set a fielding percentage record for National League outfielders in 1935. That record was broken by Harry Craft in 1940. The first qualifying National League center fielder to field 1.000 in a season was Curt Flood in 1966 -- the most recent was Brandon Nimmo in 2022.

Episodes referenced:
142 - The 1919 Black Sox w/ Jacob Pomrenke
159 - Hidden Histories: Baseball's Deadball Era Photographs w/ Jim Chapman
178 - Called Up to the Major Leagues w/ Zak Ford

-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN
-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns

Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com
Hooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandruns
Hooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandruns
Andrew Eckhoff on Tik Tok
Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Rex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ 
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat) 
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024, all rights reserved.