ObscureBall

In the mid-late 19th century, people were playing a few different bat and ball games. Baseball eventually emerged as fan favorite and this is the story of how that happened.   This episode played out over a two and a half year period. Through conversations, research, and some field work, Origins tells three different stories in a single episode. To support future ObscureBall stories, please consider making a donation. DONATE  INSIDE THE EPISODE How Baseball Happened by Tom Gilbert 21st Century Townball 21st Century Townball Podcast Duke Homestead Wyhteville Statesman In the News Some Bio on Abner Doubleday MUSIC Blue Dot Sessions Storyblocks

As work on new episodes continue, here's an episode from a show I produce for Castos called Audience. My work with castos takes me behind the scenes of all different kinds of cool audip projects and a while back I got to profile a really cool podcast called Northwoods Baseball Sleep Radio. So with the permission of Castos, I'm sharing that episode with you here. It was first published on August 4, 2022 and was produced, narrated and editied by me.  If you enjoy behind the scenes looks at creative work, then Audience is worth checking out. Full spidoes can be found at the link below   audiencepodcast.fm sleepbaseball.com

Today the World Series is one of the most recognizable institutions in all of sports. When it debuted in 1903 it was met with widespread acclaim from sports writers and baseball fans all over America. For all of its successful, the World Series was almost dead on arrival. Petty grudges, cut throat business practices and difficult personalities almost derailed the whole thing. LINKS Support the Show  Don Jensen's McGraw Bio for SABR "Called Out" A Novel of Baseball and America in 1908 by Floyd Sullivan Cindy Thomson's Website Audience by Castos MUSIC Blue Dot Sessions Storyblocks  Sources https://newspaperarchive.com/waterbury-evening-democrat-oct-07-1904-p-9/ https://newspaperarchive.com/boston-post-oct-14-1903-p-5/ https://web.archive.org/web/20061206071020/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/B/Brush_John_T.stm https://archive.ph/20080617183524/http://www.athomeplate.com/alforms.shtml https://thisgreatgame.com/1902-baseball-history/ https://thisgreatgame.com/1904-baseball-history/ https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-28-1902-little-napoleon-vs-the-czar-john-mcgraw-suspended-by-ban-johnson-after-outburst/   https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/frank-farrell/ https://newspaperarchive.com/oneonta-daily-star-feb-11-1926-p-1/ http://www.sportsology.com/not-how-you-start-yankee-beginnings/ https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-tribune-aug-01-1904-p-18/ https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-times-oct-04-1904-p-6/ https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-times-oct-07-1904-p-7/ https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1919/06/21/issue.html https://newspaperarchive.com/savannah-morning-news-sep-18-1904-p-16/

On April 29, 1904 Barbados Joe Walcott and Dixie Kid met for what was a historically significant boxing match. It was only the second time two black fighters competed for the Welterweight title. For 20 rounds, spectators watched as the two fighters duked it out.  Then Referee Dick Sullivan did something that was truly baffling...   Links: Knuckles and Gloves  Patrick Connor on Twitter  ObscureBall on Twitter  Obscureball Websites  Storyblocks   Sources: http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/21091 https://boxrec.com/en/referee/569900 http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/walcott-j.h http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/dixiekid.htm https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-08-sp-2705-story.html https://www.thefightcity.com/the-barbados-demon/ https://newspaperarchive.com/new-york-sun-may-01-1904-p-13/ https://newspaperarchive.com/bakersfield-daily-californian-apr-30-1904-p-5/ https://epdf.pub/hitters-dancers-and-ring-magicians-seven-boxers-of-the-golden-age-and-their-chal.html https://newspaperarchive.com/san-francisco-call-apr-30-1904-p-11/    

Coming soon:   Support the Show   obscureballpod.com

On August 30, 1904 32 runners set off to compete in the Olympic Marathon in St. Louis. Only 13 would finish. This poorly planned event would be one of the worst sporting events of all time. Cramps, dehydration, wild dogs, hallucinatios, stomach hemorrrages, car wrekcs and scandal all took place that afternoon. In fact, it was just one of several sporting events in 1904 marked by scandal and trechary. And in this three part serires we'll explore three of those events. In this episode Dr. Peter Kastor, Author and Professor of History and American Cultural Studies discusses how the legacy 1904 World's Fair, how white supremecy influenced the event and the legacy it's left. David Gunn shares his epxerience running in marathons juxtaposed with the 1904 race. Support the Show    Sources: Sports-Reference https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171704/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1904/ATH/mens-marathon.html Jon Bois Video Essay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4AhABManTw Abott Kahler (Karen Abbot) Smithsonian Article https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1904-olympic-marathon-may-have-been-the-strangest-ever-14910747/   The 1904 Anthropology Days and Olympic Games  edited by Susan Brownnell     

As work on new stories continues you can check out Obscure History. Hosted by Josh, it's a weekly podcast that explores obscure historical events. On this episode, which first aired on August 23, 2021, Josh explores what he calls, 'The worst game ever played.' All other episodes of Obscure History can be found anywhere you get your podcasts. 

To help support this effort to tell great audio stories, please consider donating by clicking HERE Listen to previous episodes at obscureballpod.com    More About Adam darowski.com  @adarowski Sports-Reference sports-reference.com    Seamheads  seamheads.com   

The 1914 Giro D'Italia was by virtually every metric, the worst bike race in history. 81 Riders entered the race. Only eight finished. There were floods, mud, rain, blizzards, injuries, sabotage, cheating, attempted bribery and all manner of insanity during a brutal 2,000 mile race lasting 15 days.  Links ObscureBall Website Girnimo! Riding the Bery Terrbile 1914 Tour of Italy by Time Moore Podium Cafe Article by Fergal McKay  Small League Productions  3 Clips   

Viewed through a certain lens, the Indianapolis Clowns can be seen as an inpsiring success story. As a black team in the segregated south they managed to endear fans of all races and all walks of life to their uniuqe fusion of comedy and baseball. But in reality, the their story is far more nuanced, complicated and misunderstood. Small League Productions Larry Tye Negro League Baseball Museum Brian Carroll  Story Blocks Hyped Podcast Castos Mobile App Image Credit:  Kansas Hstorical Society, Fair Use Image   

1908 was a tumultuous year in baseball. It was a tumultuous year in America. On September 23, a single base running error set off one of the most bizarre chain of events in sports history. Bribery, arson, blackmail, forbidden romance, attempted kidnapping, organized Crime, and two of the best pennant races of all time all collided in just a few weeks. Links National Suicide Prevention LifelineSmall League ProductionsAlexander's Wood EmporiumStoryblocks Contributors Stew ThornleyFloyd Sullivan, Author of Called Out Olivia Carteaux David Gunn Sources: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/harry-pulliam/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/merklfr01.shtmlhttps://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NY1/NY1190810080.shtmlhttps://goldenrankings.com/baseballmemorablegamesarticle.htmhttps://thisgreatgame.com/1908-baseball-history/

When a plane carrying 11 members of the VVS Moscow Hockey Club crashed, everyone on board died. Then came the cover up...   Contributions from: Brendan DanielJames Nickles Links:Russian Football News Small League Productions Storyblocks

The backstory of how a folksy, quick witted, singing politician from rural Kentucky helped integrate professional baseball   The Negro League Baseball Museum nlbm.com Terry Bohn's SABR Pagesabr.org/authors/terry-bohn/ Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral Histories, University of Kentucky Librarieshttps://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ Chandler, Albert Benjamin, interview by William J. Marshall. September 03, 1980, A. B. "Happy" Chandler: Desegregation of Major League Baseball Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. Small League Productionssmallleaguestu.com StoryBlocksstoryblocks.com

smallleaguestu.com

As Baseball stadiums go, The Metrodome was quirky as they come. But did The Minnesota Twins manipulate the conditions to their advantage?   Small League Productions Alexander's Wood Emporium Music for this episode was provided by Storyblocks 

To the average baseball fan Mel Hall was a mediocre ballplayer with an outsized ego. To his victims, he was sexual predator and destructive figure.   ObscureBall is produced by Small League ProductionsMusic for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks Greg Hanlon's piece, The Many Crimes of Mel Hall RAINN, Sexual Assault Hotline Image Credit:  Getty Images

In 1900, more than a century before The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox got in trouble for electronically stealing signs, a man named Pearce Chiles orchestrated a complex scheme to steal signs from opposing teams. Also, he went to jail for another thing he did THEN busted out and tried to play baseball again. Classic stuff. Bob LeMoine from The Society For American Baseball Research also helped out with this episode.   ObscureBall is produced by Small League ProductionsMusic for this episode is brought to you by StoryblocksBob LeMoine also contributed to this episode and you can read more about his research by visiting his SABR articles Other references: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/038d8ca7

As one of baseball's most prolific alcoholics, Ray "Slim" Caldwell was also a low-key talented player. But the right-handed pitcher is perhaps best known for the bizarre events of August 24, 1919.   ObscureBall is produced by Small League ProductionsMusic for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks

This episode is an abbreviated and by no means an all inclusive history of The Oakland Raiders   ObscureBall is produced by Small League ProductionsMusic for this episode is brought to you by StoryblocksClosing music credits:  Doug Hoyer via Audioblocks 

Before he was the high kicking, heavy drinking, prolific song writing front man of Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard was a star athlete who once threw a no hitter at Wright State.     ObscureBall is produced by Small League ProductionsMusic for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks