Sean and Eds Do Baseball

Sean goes back to back with the tragic story of speedy first baseman Dennis "Dan" McGann. McGann was a star at the turn of the century who set records on the base paths, fought numerous opposing players as well as his former coach. Sadly, his family life off the field was marred by tragedy and he would be gone far too soon.

Guest Liz McGuire does some baseball with Sean and Eds as Sean delivers a wild pitch about possibly the worst team in modern professional baseball history; the 1988 Medicine Hat Blue Jays. Their record setting losing season wasn't pretty in the box scores or the standings, it sure was a lot of fun though!

Eds continues to deal as he finishes off the Christie Pits saga with the story of the 1933 riot that had been brewing on the streets of Toronto for years. The rise of anti-semitism in Hogtown and around the world catalyzed a six hour race riot between the Jewish youth of the city, their Italian neighbours and the Nazi punks that wished to see them banned from public spaces. Special Thanks to Stephen Dame of SABR for anchoring most of the research for this story. Check out his article at sabr.org or the Fall 2023 editions of SABR's baseball research journal.

Eds returns to the bump with the story of how Hog Town's famed Christie Pits came to be. A beautiful park in the heart of Toronto that hosted the city's early softball leagues soon became the site of an event that catalyzed one of the darkest moments in 20th century Canadian history.

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.