ObscureBall: Recent Episodes
Small League Productions
Stuart speaks with Adam Darowski from Sports-Reference about how they aquired the game, Immaculate Grid. There's also a preview for a new Audio Documentary, to be relased as a podcast in 2025.
Support OBM Pod: https://ourbelovedmedium.com/
Immaculate Grid: https://www.immaculategrid.com/
Sports Reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/
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/
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/11/sports/series-that-never-was-90-years-ago-event-was-canceled-because-owners-feud.html
https://newspaperarchive.com/washington-post-aug-14-1904-p-63/
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/
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 Mobil 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 Lifeline
Small League Productions
Alexander's Wood Emporium
Storyblocks
Contributors
Stew Thornley
Floyd 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.shtml
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NY1/NY1190810080.shtml
https://goldenrankings.com/baseballmemorablegamesarticle.htm
https://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 Daniel
James 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 Page
sabr.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
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 Productions
Music 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 Productions
Music for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks
Bob 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 Productions
Music 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 Productions
Music for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks
Closing 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 Productions
Music for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks
Scoring 100 points in a basketball game seems impossible. But there's a formula that can help a player do just that
ObscureBall is produced by Small League Productions
When Bob Short decided to move the Washington Senators from D.C to Texas...fans didn't take it particularly well
Writer and journalist Dan Epstein is featured on this episode and you can visit his website here. His book, Big Hair Plastic Grass is also available on audiobook via Blackstone Audio. Music for this episode was provided by Audioblocks and broadcast clips can be found here.
ObscureBall is produced by Small League Productions
Music for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks
Closing Music Credits: Doug Hoyer via Audioblocks
Bill Lee, or "Spaceman" as he was known, was an oddball for sure. He was also pretty good at baseball. This episode is all about him
ObscureBall is produced by Small League Productions
Music for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks
Some promotions in sports work. Some don't. Here's a story about one that didn't
Be sure to check out The ConspiraTea Podcast I mentioned at the beginning. Listen here
ObscureBall is produced by Small League Productions
Music for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks
At the time of this publishing, MLB has recognized 300 no hitters. 23 of those are perfect games. Only one of those (that we know of) was thrown by a person on LSD
ObscureBall is produced by Small League Productions
Music for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks
Big Ed Delahanty was one of baseball's earliest home run hitters. But on July 2, 1903 he died under bizarre circumstances. What actually happened?
ObscureBall is produced by Small League Productions
Music for this episode is brought to you by Storyblocks