Talking Baseball With Ed Randall

Bob Davidson spent 28 years as an MLB umpire. Needless to say, he had a very colorful career on and off the baseball diamond. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall talks with "Balkin' Bob" about his baseball career, his time as a talk show host and his thoughts on the nickname that would forever stick with him. They also discuss what drew Bob to becoming an umpire and his return to the field in 2005.

When the Texas Rangers took to the field on Opening Day, there was no one happier to be back than third base coach Tony Beasley. After being declared cancer free only four months earlier, missing the 2016 season because of his rectal cancer diagnosis was in his rear view mirror. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall discusses the emotional fight the former player, and occasional national anthem singer, had to go through to get back to the field.

The old adage for any new baseball player promoted to the Majors is to act like you've been there before. Dave Trembley takes that to heart, as he works in the Braves organization teaching the next wave of players baseball etiquette. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall speaks with the director of player development and field coordinator for the Braves about his 33 years in baseball and why it's so important to educate young players on how to respect the game of baseball.

Dean Treanor is no rookie when it comes to the game of baseball. He spent 29 years working with several affiliates in the Minors following his pitching career. At age 69, Dean was finally called to the Majors as the bullpen coach for the Miami Marlins. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall discusses the emotion of getting the call that he'd be joining Miami's big league club, as well as his time serving as a cop in his home state of California.

John Hirschbeck has been a staple behind the plate for the past 34 years in Major League Baseball. After calling more than 5,000 games, including 23 postseason assignments, John served as a crew chief for the 2016 World Series, the final one of his career. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall spends some time with the former MLB umpire talking about his career, how he got started and the emotions of his final series.

Any player drafted by a major league team doesn't have a guaranteed shot of ever eventually making to the show. As the 1,021st player selected in the 2011 draft, Brock Stassi spent six years in the Phillies minor league system before receiving word that he would join the big club in 2017. The video of Brock's emotional response to the news went viral, as all his hard work finally paid off. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall speaks with the Phillies first baseman about his journey to the major leagues and what he's doing to insure that he stays.

When a Major League Baseball team drafts a player, they will normally go through a routine physical before signing a deal. This was the case for Dylan Covey, the rookie pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. He was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010, and during his physical for the club, Covey and the Brewers both discovered that he had Type 1 diabetes. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall sits down with the righty to discuss where his life would be if that revelation never came during that physical and his journey to the Majors.

After playing their entire 2016 season playing on the road, the Hartford Yard Goats are finally going home to their new ballpark. The Colorado Rockies Double-A affiliate team moved from New Britain to Hartford following their 2015 campaign, however due to delays at their new ballpark they didn't play a single game there last season. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall discusses the new home and the team's transition with Yard Goats play-by-play man Jeff Dooley, who is in his 20th season with the club.

When a team wins a championship, in addition to being called the best in their sport, they're also rewarded with some pretty sweet jewelry. The championship ring is a sign of triumph and is worn with pride. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall speaks with historian of championship awards Jerry McNeal, who has been a designer and manufacturer of championship rings for more than 35 years. He also speaks with Craig Cole. They discuss some of their favorite rings as well as some stories behind them.

After serving 33 years as a Major League Baseball umpire, Tim Welke decided to call it a career. With only 18 other umpires in the history of the game who accumulated more service time than him, Tim showed his love for baseball every time he suited-up since the year 1984. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall talks with the now retired Welke to discuss some of his fondest memories of the game and what he'll remember the most during his time behind the dish.

This week, the Baltimore Orioles celebrate the 25th anniversary of their revolutionary ballpark, Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall speaks with Baltimore sports writer, Orioles team historian and official scorer Jim Henneman about some of his fondest memories about one of the most important venues in all of baseball.

To say that Randy Smith has had a successful career in the game of baseball would be a complete understatement. In addition to being a contributing factor to the formation of the Colorado Rockies, Smith gave Bruce Bochy his first job as a manager and traded for Trevor Hoffman during his time as general manager of the San Diego Padres. Now, he's the special aid to the general manager and MLB scouting director of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Talkin' Baseball's Ed Randall talks with Randy about uber baseball prospect Shohei Otani as well as his time with the Beaumont Golden Gators and his dad, Tal Smith.

Many people often say an umpire does a good job if he is not noticeable during the course of a baseball game. While that's true from the first to last pitch, it's what umpire Phil Cuzzi does off the field that's extremely noticeable. Talkin' Baseball's Ed Randall talks with the veteran umpire about his lifelong relationship with Robert Luongo, who lost his life to ALS, and the annual fundraising dinner that Phil puts together to help aid research for the cause.

Tal Smith has had an illustrious career in the game of baseball, spending 35 of his 54 years of service with the Houston Astros. Though his impact on the Astros was felt heavily as a General Manager and as team President, most know him because of the now demolished Tal's Hill at Minute Maid Park. Talking Baseball's Ed Randall spends some time talking with Tal about his unique honor as well as some of his stories from his days working in baseball.

With pace of play continuing to be a large topic of discussion in MLB, the lowest level of professional baseball is attempting a radical solution to try and speed the game up. By placing a runner on second base from the 10th inning on, the Gulf Coast and Arizona League will experiment to see if this could be a viable solution to cut down game time. Talkin' Baseball's Ed Randall speaks with the vice president of baseball and business operations of Minor League baseball Tim Brunswick to discuss the highly debated proposal.

It's no secret that MLB players face one of the most grueling schedules in professional sports. Playing 162 games over a six-month period will include a lot of time in the air and changing time zones on multiple occasions during a season. Talkin' Baseball's Ed Randall speaks with Professor of Neurobiology Dr. Ravi Allada about a study he conducted that shows what the impact of travel can have on the human body and on peak performance.

Bill White has led an illustrious life in the game of baseball. In addition to slugging over 200 home runs and being an eight-time All-Star as a player, Bill later became a broadcaster and served as the President of the National League. Talkin' Baseball's Ed Randall talks with the former first baseman about his time in the game, as well as calling Yankees broadcasts with Phil Rizzuto and his famous Bucky Dent home-run call.

The Houston Astrodome is known to many as the Eighth Wonder of the World and for a good reason. It was the first multi-purpose domed stadium in the world. It holds a special place in baseball history, as the Astrodome was home to the Houston Astros for over 30 years. On this episode of Talkin' Baseball, Ed Randall spends some time with the daughter of one of the men responsible for the Astrodome, Dene Hofheinz Anton. They talk about how the Astrodome has recently become a landmark in the state of Texas and some of Dene's fondest memories of the old stadium.

It's not every day that a former NFL player and Super Bowl champion has an esteemed career in another sport following retirement. That, however, does not apply to Nick Giaquinto. After spending much of his early life surrounded by football, he retired from the game and moved to baseball. As a head coach with Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, Nick's teams have gone on to win more than 600 games. Talkin' Baseball's Ed Randall talks with Nick about his Super Bowl experience, what led him to the game of baseball and what he plans to do after he retires this season.

Rick Peterson has spent the majority of his life surrounded by the game of baseball. As a former pitcher and pitching coach, his wealth of knowledge when it comes to pitching is endless. Talkin' Baseball's Ed Randall talks with Rick about his experience and time working with pitchers on the Minor and Major League levels, as well as what he's been up to and his new book.