Branch Rickey

Best known as the man who brought Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey enjoyed a 60 year career in Major League Baseball. Along the way he developed the farm system, signed Roberto Clemente, and almost started a third major league. He even ran a professional football team for a time. We discuss his storied career in this episode. Check out Lee Lowenfish's excellent biography of Rickey for more information. Hello Old Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear. Contact the show at [email protected] and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelloOldSports

The first Super Bowl was held 60 years ago between the NFL's Green Bay Packers and the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs. It was the culmination of a long war between the two leagues, and served as one of the crowning achievements of Vince Lombardi's career. The game featured numerous future Hall of Famers including Len Dawson, Bart Starr, Jim Taylor, Buck Buchanan, Johnny Robinson, and Willie Wood. But they were all outshone by a hungover veteran receiver named Max McGee. Join us as we travel back in time to relive this historic game. Books to complement this episode: "The 1966 Green Bay Packers""The Team That History Forgot""The American Football League: A Year by Year History""Run to Win" (Jerry Kramer)"When Pride Still Mattered"Hello Old Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear. Contact the show at [email protected] and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelloOldSports

The 1951 National League Pennant Race featured an epic comeback, an intracity rivalry, sign stealing, a manager with ties to both teams, and perhaps the most famous broadcasting call in sports history. Join us as we travel back to the days of Jackie Robinson, Sal "The Barber" Maglie, Willie Mays, Roy Campanella, and of course Ralph Branca and Bobby Thomson.Books to complement this episode:"Pennant Races: Baseball At It's Best" by Dick Anderson"Charlie Dressen: a Baseball Odyssey" by David Fleitz"The Giants of the Polo Grounds" by Noel Hynd"New York City Baseball" by Harvey Frommer"The Echoing Green" by Joshua PragerAlso check out the SABR Games Project at https://sabr.org/gamesprojectHello Old Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear. Contact the show at [email protected] and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelloOldSports

Each of the nine years of the American Basketball Association (ABA) was full of crazy stories and memorable characters, but perhaps none more than the final season in 1975-76. Three teams folded during the season, and another didn't even make it to Opening Night! Professional basketball was played in Virginia, St. Louis, and Kentucky for the last time ever. Julius Erving won MVP honors and another ABA title. And the first ever slam dunk contest was held. We talk about all of it in this episode:Books to complement this episode:Loose Balls by Terry PlutoDoc: The Rise and Rise of Julius Erving by Vincent MallozziBasketball: A Love Story by Jackie MacMullan et alA History of the Nets by Rick LaughlandHello Old Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear. Contact the show at [email protected] and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelloOldSports

In Part 3 of our occasional series on the last career game (or fight) of legends in five sports, today we examine the last career appearances of Ty Cobb, Joe Louis, Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, and Lawrence Taylor. Books to Complement This Episode: "Last Time Out: Big League Farewells of Baseball's Greats""Connie Mack: The Turbulent and Triumphant Years, 1915-1931""Connie Mack's '29 Triumph: The Rise and Fall of the Philadelphia Athletics Dynasty""Unbeaten: Rocky Marciano's Fight For Perfection in a Crooked World""The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled the World""Searching for Bobby Orr""Kooks and Degenerates on Ice: Bobby Orr, the Big Bad Bruins, and the Stanley Cup Championship That Transformed Hockey"Hello Old Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear. Contact the show at [email protected] and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelloOldSports

Just in time for this year's Midsummer Classic, author Randal Sullivan joins us to talk about the first ever MLB All Star Game in 1933. Check out his book, "The First All-Star Game: Babe Ruth, FDR and America at the Crossroads"., and learn about the exploits of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Frankie Frisch, John McGraw, Connie Mack, and many more.

New York has McGraw, Holzman, and Stengel. Boston has Belichick and Auerbach, Los Angeles offers Riley and Lasorda. In this episode we name the Coaching Mt. Rushmores of these and many other cities. Hello Old Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear. Contact the show at [email protected] and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelloOldSports

Throughout the 1980's, the New York Giants were one of the premier teams in football, led by Bill Parcells, Lawrence Taylor, and Phil Simms. But by 1991, Parcells had left the team, Taylor was showing his age, and Simms had been benched for Jeff Hostetler. Coached by Ray Handley, the aging Giants struggled through two mediocre seasons in 1991 and 1992. In this episode, Andrew and Dan recount one of the most frustrating eras in Giants history. Hello Old Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear. Contact the show at [email protected] and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelloOldSports

We travel back in time 90 years to 1936 and relive the exploits of Jesse Owens, Dutch Clark, Joe DiMaggio, Max Schmeling, and many more! Books to Complement This Episode: "American Hoops: U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball from Berlin to Beijing" by Carson Cunningham"The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring" by Paul Beston "Hockey Hall of Fame Timeline of the Game: 150 Years of Hockey Stories" by Don Weekes "Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig" by Jonathan Eig "The Giants of the Polo Grounds" by Noel Hynd "The National Basketball League: A History, 1935-1949" by Murry R. Nelson "Cages to Jump Shots: Pro Basketball's Early Years" by Robert W. Peterson "Slingin' Sam: the Life and Times of the Greatest Quarterback Ever to Play the Game" by Joe Holley "The Stanley Cup" by Brian McFarlane"Induction Day at Cooperstown" a History of the Baseball Hall of Fame Ceremony" by Dennis Corcoran "Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink" by David Margolick "Detroit: City of Champions" by Charles AvisonHello Old Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear. Contact the show at [email protected] and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelloOldSports

Author Tom Gilbert has written an excellent biography of baseball's first superstar, Jim Creighton. Even though he died in 1862 at only 21 years of age, Creighton revolutionized the way the game was played and his death was mourned throughout the sporting world. In his book, "Death in the Strike Zone: The Mystery of America's First Baseball Hero", Gilbert tells of how Creighton revolutionized pitching, caused the invention of the strike zone, and helped make Brooklyn the center of the baseball universe in the 19th Century. And we learn about his catcher Joe Leggett as well! One of baseball's original scoundrels. Hello Old Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Your Favorite Sport's Yesteryear. Contact the show at [email protected] and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelloOldSports