Sean and Eds Do Baseball

Eds steps back to the bump and delivers the story of Lip Pike; the first Jewish star of baseball. One of the 19th century's brightest stars, Pike set the pace for all sluggers of the day. He never stayed in one place for long but his consistency at the dish was unmatched in both average and slug; at one time accounting for almost 1 in 5 home runs hit in one season. Lip Pike displayed incredible powers on the field and helped usher early baseball into a new age. He even bested an equine foe in an incredible display of speed.

Sean delivers a curveball as the Cincinnati Reds returned to the Fall Classic after losing in 1939 but this time they are playing for more than pride. They are playing to honour back-up catcher Willard Hershberger after tragedy struck the team mid-season.

Sean winds up and delivers the story of Pascual Perez, a slim, erratic pitcher who had one of the wildest careers in baseball history. Whether in the middle of brawls, pennant races or drug controversies, Pascual was a spark plug for his teams, just don’t ask him for a ride if you wanna get to the ball park on time.

Due to some technical difficulties in the recording this week Sean and Eds are forced to revisit an episode from January of 2021.Sean and Eds record remotely this time as the number of Covid-19 cases is on the rise. Sean listens through the power of the internet as Eds tells the tale of baseball's one millionth run scored, how 4 men had their chances to ink their name to the pages of oddball history and how the contest was decided by a foot race 2400 miles apart.

As Sean and Eds enjoy the All Star Break we turn back the clock to July of 2021 when they welcomed friend and former high school baseball teammate Matt Marchese (host of The FAN Hockey show, former producer of Prime Time Sports at Sportsnet 590 The Fan & writer for Sportsnet) to the podcast as Eds stumbles upon another story; this time with a local twist. A tale from the nebulous depths of baseball history that tells how the meteoric rise of a man who shovelled his way to the major leagues from the train yards to the ball fields was ultimately stymied in a surprisingly spectacular fashion.

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.

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.