Sean and Eds Do Baseball

Sean keeps throwing and things get out of hand with Van Lingle Mungo.An arm injury, boozing, trade rumours, adultery, and confrontations with his managers lead to the end of his tenure in Brooklyn; and eventually his career, but not before one of the wildest stories in baseball history.

Sean pitches into extra innings starting with the origin and rise of Brooklyn Dodgers star Van Lingle Mungo. One of the best pitchers of the 1930’s, Mungo had the unfortunate luck of pitching in front of the Daffy Dodgers,  never experiencing team success despite impressive underlying personal stats. A confrontational personality, drinking and finally an arm injury would seal his fate as a forgotten Dodger great.

Sean and Eds share the tools of ignorance this time and catch a story from special guest pitcher; Sports Reference Director of Design and SABR member Adam Darowski who steps to the mound with a spot start.Adam tells the tale of a 1930's Dominican baseball league that was founded by a ruthless dictator who sought to ride the wave of baseball's popularity to both feed his obsession with power and win the hearts of his countrymen. He details the relatively unknown Latin superstars that made up the rosters  and the defection of many American Negro League players brought in to play for more money, and to their surprise... their lives.

Sean throws a change-up with some late break telling the tragic story of a much hyped Pirates prospect and the scout who promised to stay by his side. Edmead would prove to be everything the organization was hoping he'd be until a routine play in August changed baseball history.

Eds returns to the mound for another tale of Black History with the story of Cecil Cooper. A criminally underrated player who struggled to find a fit in Boston, Cooper was a humble first baseman who eventually found his niche in the small market of Milwaukee, becoming an integral part of one of the most potent line-ups of the 1980's, carving out a place in the Brewers record books and becoming one of the most respected men in baseball on and off the field.

Sean gets on the bump for his first start of 2025 and regales Eds with the story of Luke Easter. A hulking home run hitting, trailblazing black slugger and all around great guy. Easter had a late start to his pro baseball career but made up for it by lying about his age. He'd play until nearly the age of 50, positively impacting hundreds of fans and teammates along the way, before meeting a tragic end.

Eds comes from the windup and kicks high with the life story of the man who some consider to be the luckiest in baseball history; Jack Lohrke. Born in the 20's, Lohrke lived into his 80's but not before becoming one of baseball's greatest cheaters, but not on the field or in his personal life. Jack Lohrke earned the nickname "Lucky" by cheating death.......seven times.

Our 2024 Season Finale!Sean's on the bump with the extra long story of William Ashley Sunday. After a rough childhood, Sunday's speed was enough to earn a spot on the Chicago White Stockings but he would leave after a short career yo serve a bigger purpose! Preaching the word of God like no one had ever seen before.

The boys return to the battery after a short break with the life story of yet another fellow country man; this time it's Phil Marchildon. In the spirit of Remembrance / Veteran's Day Eds toes the rubber and tells Sean about Phil's humble beginnings on the shores of Georgian Bay, his late start into baseball and his heroic venture to war, where he became a POW and suffered the effects that further curtailed a promising baseball career. 

As the MLB season comes to a close and Sean spends time off with a growing family; the boys revisit an old episode from October of 2020 in which Eds tells Sean, and friend of the show Jean Poincelet about a wild offseason almost 50 years ago that nearly brought a struggling west coast franchise back across the continent and north of the border.This is the story of a volatile era in baseball where expansion was quickly changing the landscape of Major League Baseball, and how one man's renegade actions started a chain of events that would ultimately bring to fruition the dream of another man north of the 49th parallel.