Hooks & Runs
Hooks & Runs is a podcast about baseball, music and culture. Our podcast includes interviews with news makers in the sports and music world plus commentary from the co-hosts on interesting current and historical events. Hooks & Runs releases a new episodes every Thursday (more or less).
Episodes
202 episodes
The Clout or an Out Club
Three players in big league history have more than one career home run but no other hits. Two were players that got only a cup of coffee or two in the big leagues; the third, believe it or not, was a pitcher. We have their stories. Plus - the R...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 250
•
55:08
249 - He Went Two for Five the Next Game w/ Beverly Winter-Donaho
In April 1950, Jim Martin, a catcher for the West Texas New Mexico League’s Pampa Oilers, was violently struck by lightning during a game in Abilene, Texas. He not only survived the strike but he played the next game, going two for five. This w...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 249
•
49:02
248 - Ernie Banks: Absurdly Simple & Impossibly Complex (Texans in the Hall) w/ Doug Wilson
In this episode, we talk with Doug Wilson, author of Let's Play Two: The Legend of Mr. Cub, the Life of Ernie Banks (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), to explore the life and legacy of one of baseball’s most beloved figures. Doug shares...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 248
•
54:10
Ep. 47 - They Were All in Love with Songs w/ Tamara Saviano (From the Vault)
Craig and Rex are taking a break in May giving them a change to feature some favorite episodes from the archives and you an chance to catch up on other episodes you may have missed or wish to revisit. This episode from the vault fea...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 47
•
41:59
133 - We Weren't Rained Out, We Were Rained In w/ Roger Metzger (From the Vault)
Craig and Rex are taking a break in May giving them a change to feature some favorite episodes from the archives and you an chance to catch up on other episodes you may have missed or wish to revisit. This episode from early 2023 is...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 133
•
1:15:27
247 - "A Stranger Among His Own Kind:" Rogers Hornsby (Texans in the Hall)
Rogers Hornsby won seven batting titles, hit .358 in his 23-year Major League career and remains the all-time batting average leader both among right handed hitters and in the National League. He managed the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals to franchis...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 247
•
51:46
246 - Remembering the St. Louis Browns w/ Ed Wheatley
Ed Wheatley, president of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society, joins us this week to discuss the Browns, an American League team from 1902 to 1953. Wheatley is the co-author of "St. Louis Browns: The Story of a Beloved Team" (Reedy Press 20...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 246
•
55:40
245 - Disco Was Fun! Baseball, Music & Culture in 1978 w/ David Krell
David Krell is author of "1978: Baseball and America in the Disco Era," (University of Nebraska Press, 2025). His book explores the wild 1978 major league season with features on the American League East race that went to a 163rd game, iconic p...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 245
•
54:18
244 - Power Outage! The 1979 Houston Astros
This week, Craig and Rex take a deep dive into the 1979 Houston Astros, the only team since 1947 to hit fewer than 50 home runs while posting a winning record and also the last team to hit more triples than home runs in a single season. Also, T...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 244
•
56:25
243 - Trouble in Tampa Bay: Maybe the Rays Are Not Getting Their New Stadium After All w/ Dr. Elizabeth Strom
Maybe we spoke too soon. Dr. Elizabeth Strom, a professor of urban politics and policy at The University of South Florida and an editor at DRays Bay, a Tampa Bay Rays blog on SB Nation, returns to our pod...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 243
•
47:52
242 - Disturbed Concert Stories, 2025 MLB Predictions, and Tommy (the Film)
This week, Disturbed declares war on the Bulls' championship banners during a show at United Center, plus Motley Crue at MinuteMaid (Daiken) and the greatest Journey concert ever. Craig makes his 2025 MLB predictions - try not to laugh. The pod...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 242
•
50:15
241 - The Hard Luck 11: Pitchers that threw 9+ inning, complete game 1-hitters and lost
Since 1901, in the American and National Leagues, 11 pitchers have thrown 9+ inning, complete game 1-hitters and lost. These include a pitcher that pitched both games of a double-header on the day, a pitcher that took a perfect game into the 13...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 241
•
46:39
240 - Texans in the Hall: Greg Maddux, plus, Arenado, Rose, Golden State Entertainment and Tales of the Tape.
This week Craig and Rex continue their series on native Texans in the Baseball of Fame with 355-game winner Greg Maddux. Also, the Nolan Arenado trade talks will not go away, Pete Rose's family petitions the Commission to lift the all-time hits...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 240
•
45:25
239 - Willie McCovey: Remembering a Forgotten Superstar w/ Chris Haft
Author Chris Haft's new book, Willie McCovey: A Giant Among Giants (University of Nebraska Press, 2025) adds to the baseball literature by examining the life and baseball times of perhaps the most forgotten member of the 500-home run c...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 239
•
54:36
238 - Artie Shaw's Nightmare: The Big Band Sound Goes to War w/ Michael Doyle
Author and journalist Michael Doyle's new book, Nightmare in the Pacific: The World War II Saga of Artie Shaw and His Navy Band (Univ. of North Texas Press, 2025) is an adventurous tale and a must read. Shaw, a leading big band leader ...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 238
•
53:35
237 - Bugs Raymond, the Overlooked for Cooperstown, Kendrick's Halftime & Beyonce's Grammy
Bugs Raymond battled alcoholism while pitching for the Tigers, Cardinals and Giants as well as several minor league teams during the early Deadball Era -- this week we discuss Raymond's difficult and tragic life in baseball and afterwards. In C...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 237
•
51:35
236 - Jim Gilliam: Replaceable in March, Irreplaceable in October w/ Stephen W. Dittmore
Stephen W. Dittmore's book, "Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger," (August Publications, 2025) hit bookstores this week and it's a good one. Dittmore joins us this week to talk about the man who won the 1953 National League's Rookie of the Year A...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 236
•
45:06
235 - Texans in the Hall: Ross Youngs w/ David King
Journalist and author David King joins us in part 1 to talk about Ross Youngs, who was born in Shiner, Texas, in 1897, and later played 10 seasons for John McGraw's New York Giants. In that time he was a key player on four National League penna...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 235
•
53:45
234 - The Miracle Braves of 1914, part 2
This week concludes our two-part series about the Miracle Braves of 1914 and concludes with Rex and Craig discussing Billy Wagner and the recent Hall of Fame balloting results.Episodes mentioned:
•
Season 6
•
Episode 234
•
45:19
233 - The Miracle Braves of 1914, Part 1
This week Craig and Rex begin a two-part series on the Miracle Braves of 1914.The early 20th Century was not kind to the Boston Braves (previously, the Beaneaters, the Doves and the Rustlers). Mired in the second division for years with...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 233
•
39:11
106 - Baseball Rebels w/ Professor Peter Dreier (From the Vault)
Rex and I are taking two weeks to recover from the holidays and holiday travel and will be back January 16 with the first episode of Season Six. Here are the show notes from our Episode 106:-------------------------------------------Thi...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 106
•
55:47
46/50 - From the Vault: Our Interview with Larry Lester and the Best and Worst Super Bowl Halftime Performances (From the Vault)
Craig and Rex are taking two weeks off so we reached into the vault this week to present two segments from shows past.The first segment is our January 2021 interview with Larry Lester, baseball historian and co-founder of the Negro Leag...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 46
•
55:46
232 - It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over: The 1973 New York Mets w/ Len Ferman, The Sports Time TravelerTM
Len Ferman's new book, The 1973 Mets - You've Got to Believe, is a day to day saga about a Mets team that that rallied from last place with a 61-71 record on August 31 to win the National League East with an 82-79 record. The Eastern D...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 232
•
53:15
231 - The 2024 Hooks & Runs Year End Music Review
Craig & Rex review their favorite albums of 2024 while Craig mourns Kyle Tucker being traded by Houston to the Cubs.Errata: The MJ Lenderman lyric on "Wristwatch" is " a wristwatch that tells me I'm on my own," not "I'm all alone." ...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 231
•
32:58
230 - Lou Gehrig Goes to Hollywood
This week Craig and Rex look at Lou Gehrig's lone Hollywood film, "Rawhide" (1938), filmed in January 1938. The film stars Gehrig (playing himself) and Texas native Smith Ballew (Palestine), Hollywood's first singing cowboy as the film'...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 230
•
30:35