Syndicated radio personality and author Brant Hansen shares his love for baseball and the impact it has had on his life growing up on the Autism spectrum.   Batting averages and wins and losses weren't just statistics for him, they became a refuge to escape a chaotic family situation and helped him develop a passion.  Once dreaming of becoming a play by play announcer for the Cardinals, life's twists and turns found him at the mic for Cardinals' spring training in his home of Jupiter, Florida.  

Life At The Ballpark

Syndicated radio talent Brant Hansen

Clint Hurdle played in the big leagues for 10 years and managed another 17 with the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates. Hurdle began his professional career on a Sports Illustrated cover heralded as the “next big phenom”.   That unwanted and unexpected spotlight helped create enormous expectations that led to personal struggles.  As a first time manager Hurdle led the Colorado Rockies to their first NL pennant in 2007.  He was named manager of the year for the Pirates in 2013 where they reached the post season three consecutive seasons.   Clint was hitting coach with the Rangers in 2010 when they won their first AL Pennant.  It was with the Rangers that Clint met up with Emmy Award winning TV director Dave Burchett, who joins us on today’s podcast.  Today they will share about their new project on leadership and faith.       Clint Hurdle is an inspirational and motivational story teller who doesn’t shy away from his difficult path to success and happiness.  

Clint Hurdle

Robert Ford has been doing radio play by play for the Houston Astros since 2013, when Astros were in the process of losing 100 games three years in a row.    The team followed that with three consecutive 100 win seasons in the same decade, the only team to ever do that.    Robert shares about growing up a Mets’ fan in the Bronx where all the other neighborhood kids were rooting for the Yankees.  He tells how he learned about baseball because his mother, a school teacher, encouraged his reading and he wanted to prove to his schoolmates that he really knew baseball.  He talks about his all time favorite call of Alex Bregman’s walk-off RBI single in Game 5 of the 2017 World Series.    Robert tells stories from his father’s days a pioneer in Hip Hop music, first as a writer at Billboard magazine, then as a producer.  He shares about how Hip Hop developed in Harlem from the Disco music scene, and being in the studio with his dad Rocky Ford and meeting Run-DMC, Curtis Blow, and the Beastie Boys.   

Robert Ford joins Life at the Ballpark

The veteran of 40 years covering MLB shares insights on the Cardinals' upcoming season and tells stories from his 30 books about Cardinal legends like Ozzie Smith, Jack Buck, Albert Pujols, and Red Schoendienst.    

St. Louis sportswriter Rob Rains

Ben Frederickson shares his perspective on the trade that brought Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals.  Perhaps the best trade in Cardinals' history?   Ben assesses the Cardinals strengths and weakness as they prepare for Opening Day 2021.   He also shares about how the pandemic affected baseball last year, and the importance of signing Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina for another season.  

Talking Cardinals' baseball with Ben Frederickson

 Anne Rogers is one of a handful of female beat writers for MLB.com.   She spent several seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and is in her first with the Kansas City Royals.      On this episode we talk about Anne’s interviews with women in baseball sharing the significance of the hiring of MLB’s first female general manager Kim Ng as General Manager of the Miami Marlins.     John Frost’s co-host this episode is minor league broadcaster and writer Lisa Pride who has co-founded the community of Minor League Baseball Broadcasters to increase representation and promote diversity & inclusion in the Baseball Broadcast Booth.  

MLB beat writer Anne Rogers

Cubs & ESPN Play-by-play commentator Jon "Boog" Sciambi joins Life at the Ballpark to share stories about his career in the broadcast booth including with his encounters with the Phillie Phanatic, working with Rick Sutcliffe, and the one time he gave poor advice to Chipper Jones who let Boog know while he was still at bat. 

Cubs & ESPN play-by-play commentator Jon "Boog" Sciambi

KMOX Sports Director Tom Ackerman joins Life at the Ballpark to share some unique stories about St. Louis Cardinals’ legends. Tom also revisits the time when his father passed away during his high school years and then receiving a call from Bob Costas who went through a very relatable situation. 

KMOX Sports Director Tom Ackerman

Cardinals broadcaster Mike Claiborne joins John Frost to tell stories and reminisce about Cardinals legend and Hall of Famer Lou Brock. 

Cardinals broadcaster Mike Claiborne

Los Angeles Dodgers historian Mark Langill joins John Frost on the latest episode of Life at the Ballpark

Los Angeles Dodgers historian Mark Langill

Veteran play by play man Bob Carpenter shares stories about growing up a Cardinals' fan in St. Louis, about being mentored by Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck, calling games for the World Champion Washington Nationals, and what it will be like for broadcasters and players in this unusual 60 game season.  

Bob Carpenter

Texas Rangers Hall of Famer Jim Sundberg shares stories from his 16 seasons in the big leagues, including playing for Billy Martin, and catching Nolan Ryan.  Jim also shares about his new "Legacy Playbook, 50 Days Of Encouragement To Pass On What Matters Most."  

Jim Sundberg

Missing baseball?   Enjoy my conversation with New York Yankees’ legend Bobby Richardson, 7 time all star, and the only World Series MVP to play for the losing team.  He shares stories about the '61 home run race with Maris and Mantle, and about his relationship with The Mick which began when Bobby was 19 years old and culminated with his (and Bob Costas') famous eulogy at Mantle's funeral televised around the world.  

Bobby Richardson, part two

On this episode of Life at the Ballpark you’ll hear the story of a kid from South Carolina who at age 14 saw the movie "The Pride of the Yankees", the story of Lou Gehrig, and would one day stand on the very same spot at Yankee Stadium for Bobby Richardson Day where Lou gave his famous "I'm the luckiest guy" speech  

Bobby Richardson of the New York Yankees

If you’re missing baseball during the pandemic, enjoy my conversation with Ben Frederickson who covers the St. Louis Cardinals. Ben shares what’s it like for a sportswriter when the answer to almost every question is “I Don’t know.” You’ll hear some great stories about Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa, and we'll kick around some ideas of what the Cardinals' line up may look like when baseball begins play.  

Ben Frederickson (part 2)

For those who love baseball, Life At The Ballpark gives you an inside peek into the game with entertaining stories from those who play it, scout it, and broadcast it every single day. Recorded at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, FL, the Spring Training home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins. Life At The Ballpark is hosted by John Frost, a veteran broadcaster and lover of the game who shares that love as a Public Address Announcer at the ballpark.

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Life At The Ballpark

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