Talking Baseball With Ed Randall

In 1954, the Detroit Tigers offered Earl Robinette a contract to join the club in his farmhouse in Michigan. With the contract going unsigned, the story of "what if" played out many times in his mind. Fast forward to May of 2016, at age 80, Earl signed the dotted line on a one-day contract to make him a member of the organization that scouted him so long ago. MLB.com's Ed Randall spoke with the former "farm boy" outfielder to discuss the story 62 years in the making.

1968 is forever dubbed as the "Year of the Pitcher" when some of baseball's best starting pitchers dominated the entire league. Jim Lefebvre, who played behind Don Drysdale during his dominant season, joins MLB.com's Ed Randall on the latest edition of the Talking Baseball podcast. The 1965 National League Rookie of the Year discusses his award winning campaign, as well as what it was like to play in one of the toughest seasons to be a hitter.

Ed Farmer has probably seen almost everything you can when it comes to baseball. MLB.com's Ed Randall caught up with Chicago White Sox radio play-by-play to reflect on lessons he learned growing up, memories from playing in the Pacific Coast League, and how he persevered despite having kidney disease during his career.

50 years ago Frank Robinson hit a home run out of Memorial Stadium. It's the first and only ball to ever leave the confines of that ballpark. MLB.com's Ed Randall caught up with Mike Sparaco, who stumbled upon the ball on his way to a blind date and eventually handed the ball back to Robinson and reflects on an ordinary day that turned into extraordinary.

It was a May evening when future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins earned his 3,000th strikeout, only the seventh Major League pitcher to reach the milestone. Talkin' Baseball's Ed Randall caught up with Jenkins on the anniversary of this historical and memorable day in 1982 to find out how he reached this moment in his career, how Jenkins relates his struggles in 1970 to those of Matt Harvey's today and offers some advice for the young Mets pitcher.

Mike Schmidt, former Phillies third baseman, hit the game-winning home run in a historical extra-inning game that ended in a final score of 23-22 against the Cubs in 1979. Schmidt joins Ed Randall's Talkin' Baseball to relive the historical moment and discuss how the game has changed today when it comes to third baseman and over-the-top celebrations, as well as how hot the Phillies have been so far this season.

What is life like inside the clubhouse? Mike Murphy, a 59-season-veteran clubbie, joins Ed Randall's Talkin' Baseball to give us the inside scoop about life as the Giants' batboy turned equipment manager, how he felt after Candlestick Park was demolished and the biggest lessons he's learned throughout his time in San Francisco.

Carlos Tosca, the Braves bench coach, left Cuba when he was eight years old. MLB.com's Ed Randall caught up with Tosca to learn about his childhood in Cuba, his move to the United States and how this shaped his life, as well as to reflect on his time working his way through baseball to eventually become the Blue Jays manager and take a closer look at his role now with the Braves.

When Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's home run record at 714, Reds play-by-play man Marty Brennaman was on the other end calling this historic moment. MLB.com's Ed Randall caught up with the Hall of Fame broadcaster to find out how he got his start in baseball, what it was like calling Hank Aaron's home run in his first-ever game as the Reds play-by-play broadcaster and the advice he received from Vin Scully as the Reds hit a rough spot during the 80's.

The Hartford Yard Goats haven't had the most conventional season so far. MLB.com's Ed Randall caught up with Yard Goats broadcaster Jeff Dooley to find out what in the world a Yard Goat is, how the team has adjusted to life on the road waiting for their new ballpark to be completed and what it will look like when it's all said and done.

Roberto Clemente's legacy off the field was just as, if not more important, than what he did on the field. Clemente's son Luis joins Talkin' Baseball's Ed Randall to reflect on his father's storied career, what it means to see his father's name honored in so many places and when he realized that No. 21's legacy had an international impact.

69 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, MLB.com's Ed Randall and Robinson's former teammate Carl Erskine reflect on the kind of man No. 42 was on and off the field, how he pioneered the game and how his wife, Rachel, stood by Jackie's side through thick and thin.

Marlins infield coach Perry Hill and Talkin' Baseball's Ed Randall catch up to find out how Hill's job has changed throughout the years, why Ozzie Smith's defense changed the game for infielders and how he's been so successful for so long.

With a mere 72 years of experience in groundskeeping, George Toma joins Ed Randall on Talkin' Baseball to reflect on his unparalleled career in sports. Toma takes Ed through a 72-year journey, starting with the time he was 16 years old and named head groundskeeper for the Cleveland Indians Minor League teams and ending with the state of Toma's own backyard.

Imagine having three brothers in a Major League outfield playing at the same time. Felipe Alou, Special Assistant to the General Manager for the SF Giants, joins Talkin' Baseball to reminisce back to when Felipe and his brothers, Matty and Jesús, roamed the outfield for the San Francisco Giants, why this moment is so special for the Alou family, and what made the 1994 Expos the best team Alou ever managed.

Ed catches up with Don Hooton of the Taylor Hooton Foundation which was set up to promote awareness of youth steroid abuse. Don hopes the story of losing his son back in 2003 will help educate student athletes to play the game the right way and with integrity.

This offseason, Bud Black packed up and headed north in California, returning to Anaheim, where he spent nine season as Mike Scioscia's pitching coach and was a part of the 2002 World Series Angels. MLB.com's Ed Randall caught up with Black in Spring Training to hear how the game changed while he managed in San Diego, how the Halos are shaping up for the season and what exactly he's in charge of in Anaheim.

Marty Appel - former Public Relations director for the Yankees - gives Ed his firsthand account of quite possibly the strangest trade in Major League history when Yankees pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich decided to swap wives during the spring of 1973. Appel and Ed also reminisce about the retirement of Mickey Mantle on March 1, 1969, and the impact Mantle's retirement had on the entire Yankees organization.

Larry King and the Dodgers' love affair started in Brooklyn, New York and hasn't skipped a beat since they moved across the country to Los Angeles. The television host joins MLB.com's Ed Randall to reflect on Vin Scully's first Dodger's game, what he thinks of the squad this season after losing Zack Greinke and who King likes least, the Giants or the Yankees.

How does a Hall of Fame pitcher feed the competitive fires after finishing his baseball career? When you're Tom Seaver you get into the wine business. Ed also gets Tom's take on whether today's pitchers are too coddled. Also, Ed introduces us to the man who scouted and signed John Elway as an outfield prospect, long before he became a Super Bowl winning Quarterback and General Manager.