Backwards K Pod

Edgar Martinez was one of the best right-handed hitters of his era. He retired at the conclusion of the 2004 season, after spending 18 distinguished and loyal years playing for the Seattle Mariners. He finished with a .312/,418/,515/,933 slashline, which places him in the company of some of the game's immortals. Over his career, he made seven All-Srar teams. won a pair of American League Batting Titles, five Silver Slugger Awards and five Most Outstanding Designated Hitter Awards. He is arguably one of the greatest Designated Hitters to ever swing a bat, as evidenced by the fact that Major League Baseball renamed the Most Outstanding Designated Hitter Award to the Edgar Martinez Award in his honor, upon his retirement. This week, we profile this man's amazing baseball journey from Dorado, Puerto Rico to Seattle, Washington and eventually to Cooperstown, New York, to rightfully take his place in the Pantheon Of Baseball Immortals; The National Baseball Hall Of Fame. #EdgarMartinez #CarmeloMartinez #MartyMartinez #HolliMartinez #SeattleMariners #JimLefbvr #KenGriffeyJr #RandyJohnson #JackMcDowell #IchiroSuzuki #MarianoRivera #PedroMartinez #BretBoone #DaveNiehaus

It is not an overstatement to say that, Tommy Lasorda was the most important figure in the Dodgers organization since Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson. He gave his life to the franchise, speaking endlessly about "Bleeding Dodgers Blue" and talking to the "Big Dodger In The Sky". For almost 80 years, he was the face of Dodgers baseball and the embodiment of Dodgers Blue and their pristine whites. As a manager for the team. he won 1,599 games, the 22nd most victories by a Major League manager, 4 National League pennants, 2 World Championships, as well as a Gold Medal in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games held in Sydney, Australia. This week we delve into the baseball journey of the Hall Of Fame manager, and one of baseball's greatest ambassadors of the game in the history of the sport. #ThomasCharlesLasorda #SabatinoLasorda #CarmellaLasorda #JoanLasorda #BrooklynDodgers #LosAngelesDodgers #SteveGarvey #RonCey #BillRussell #DustyBaker #SandyKoufax #NewYorkYankees #KirkGibson

Mike Mussina was a cerebral assassin and one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball history, excelling against some of the game's biggest sluggers during the "Steroid Era". Despite finishing his Hall Of Fame career with 270 wins, and an American League record of 17 consecutive seasons with more than 10 wins, his career has been earmarked by near-misses and lost opportunity, both personally and for his teams. Always the best man, but never the groom, Moose would never win a Cy Young Award, but he would be a top 5 vote-getter 6 times in his career. He carried four no-hitters into the 8th or 9th inning, before coming up short, the most times for any pitcher who has never thrown a no-hitter. And he would neverf win a World Series ring. The closest he would come was 2001, when he would watch Luis Gonzalez hit a walk-off championship winning bloop single off Yankees teammate and closer Mariano RIvera, in Game Seven. He was a mad surgeon, applying small knicks from his scapel to his opponents, which on the surface seemed harmless. But if you took a step back and looked at yourself in the late innings. you'd be a bloody fucking mess. This week we follow his baseball journey from small=town America; Montoursville, Pennsylvania to a baseball legacy that ends in Cooperstown, New York, as one of the all-time immortals. #MikeMussina #Moose #MalcolmMussina #EllieMussina #MarkMussina #UniversityOfStanford #EdSprague #BaltimoreOrioles #CalRipkenJr #NewYorkYankees #MichaelKay #JoeTorre

Wade Boggs was a meticulous and regimented artist,whose platform was the National Pastime. His tool of choice was a bat, and his canvas was Major League ballfields. A 12 time All Star third-baseman, Boggs ended his 18 year career with 3,010 hits, a lifetime batting average of .328 and a .414 on-base percentage. Of the 2,432 games he played in, he reached base in a staggering 85% of them. This week we dig into the legacy laid down by one of the games greatest pure-hitters ever; The Chicken Man, Wade Anthony Boggs. #WadeBoggs #WinfieldBoggs #SusanBoggs #HenryBPlantHighSchool #GeorgeDigsby #TedWilliams #BostonRedSox #NewYorkYankees #TampaBayDevilRays #JeanYawkey #NationalBaseballHallOfFame #FenwayPark

In the face of economic ruin and mass migration, baseball is woven and stitched into the fabric of Venezuelan culture. It's more than just the national sport, it's a national identity. A bridge to the past, and a hope for a brighter future. As the game has become a global commodity, Venezuelans continue to be some of the game's most passionate of ambassadors, spreading their joys, values and rhythm to places never known before. The global impact of Venezuela baseball is no longer measured in wins and championships. It is seen in the classrooms, community fields and family traditions as many have migrated far from their homeland, and brought their passion for the game with them. Baseball in Venezuela has survived years of war, government corruption and civil unrest, because the game lives and manifests itself deep into the Venezuela DNA and soul of the game. This week we dig into the rich history of the game of Venezuelan baseball. From it's early beginnings when affluent boys came back from college in the United States in the 1890's, playing the game to the national phenomena it has become today in this country. #BaseballInVenezuela #AmendoroFranklin #CaracasBaseBallClub #GeneralJoaqinCrespo #EmeritoArgudin #USSMarietta #FrankMartin #BackStopBar #AntonioBenitez #MarinDiHigo #LuisAparicio #AlejandroCarrasquel #ClarkeGriffith #WashingtonSenators #EugenioSuarez #MiguelCabrera #EstadioMonumentalSimonBolivar #EstadioForum #HugoChavez #RonaldAcunaJr #CaracasVenezuela #PapaJoeCambria

In the early years of baseball, Major League Teams had a " Bring Your Own Bat" policy. During this time, you may see some batters walking up to the plate with piano legs, axe handles, wagon tongues, tree limbs or even a rolling pin. Through trial and error, baseball bats have evolved from the primitive clubs used in the 1840's to the standardized and optimized high performance tools that the greatest hitters on the planet use today. Barreling up on a pitched baseball is arguably the hardest thing to do in all of sports, but having the right tool to do it, can make it slightly less difficult. This week I will profile the history and evolution of wood baseball bats, form the crude sticks used during the Dead-Ball era by the game's forefathers, to the Torpeedo Bat introduced in 2026 #TyCobb #BabeRuth #PeteBrowning #WeeWillieKeeler #JohnBudHillerich #HillerichAndBradsbyCompany #LouisvilleSlugger #HeinieGroh #BottleBat #RogersHornsby #TedWilliams #BarryBonds #Maple #Hickory #Ash #TorpedoBats #AaronLeadhardt #HankAaron #GeorgeBrett #PineTarGame

In the last 50 years, only four catchers, under the age of 21, had been handed a Major League starting catcher's job; Bob Didier, Johnny Bench, Butch Wynegar and Ivan Rodriguez. That is until Opening Day 2005, when a certain St. Paul, Minnesota prodigy took the reigns for his hometown Minnesota Twins. Joe Mauer would establish his legendary status while playing catcher and first-base for the franchise. His strong mid-west roots and dedication to his craft would help him become one of the most respected players of his era. Known or his sharp baseball instincts, exceptional skills with a bat in his hand and his work behind the dish. Joe left a lasting legacy, not only for his achievements on the field, but also for his positive impact on his community and his dedication to giving back. Whether it was amassing three batting titles, or winning league MVP honors; the hometown hero didn't just join the ranks of all-time catchers, he was a revolutionary at his position, and created a class of his own. #JoeMauer #MinnesotaTwins #CretinDerhamHallHighSchool #TonyLessman #JakeMauer #BillyMauer #BobbyBowden #ToriiHunter #JustinMorneau #JeffCarter #BaseballAmerica #HubertHumphreyMetroDome #TargetField

Legendary funnyman and former big league catcher Bob Uecker once said, "The Best way to catch a knuckle-ball, is to wait for it to stop rolling, and then pick it up." He also noted that catching Phil Niekro's knuckle-ball was a great experience. " It gave me a chance to meet all the important people sitting in the stands behind home-plate. Phil Niekro, or "Knucksie" as he was affectionately called, was an unapologetic one-pitch pitcher. He rode his rotation-less knuckle-ball pitch to amass 318 wins and 3,342 strikeouts in his illustrious 24 year career. An amazing feat, considering he didn't collect his 100th win until his age 34-season in 1972, 9 years into his MLB career. That and the fact that he only had 596 strikeouts to his credit at the age of 30. With his one 77 miles per hour, butterfly pitch that seemed to giggle at you as it crossed the plate, he confounded the greatest hitters on the planet, all the way to Cooperstown, New York. #PhilNiekro #Knucksie #BlaineOhio #BridgeportHighSchool #JoeNiekro #JohnHavlicek #BillMazeroski #BillMaughn #HarryMinor #NancyFerrand #MilwaukeeBraves #AtlantaBraves #NewYorkYankees #ClevelandIndians #TorontoBlueJays #KnuckleBall #BobbyCox #JoeTorre #TedTurner

While Rickey Henderson is universally and rightfully regarded as the greatest lead-off hitter in baseball history, this week I will do a deep dig into the baseball foundation laid down by arguably the second greatest lead-off stick of all time; " The Rock" Tim Raines. The Rock was a beautiful combination of speed, power, and high on-base percentage. The rarest of blends and qualities, achieved by only a few players before him or since. His blinding speed was on a whole other level. He stole 70 or more bases in a season six times in his career. His 808 stolen bases ranks him with the fifth most in the game's history, and his 84.7% success rate is the highest ratio for any player with 400 or more stolen bases, since caught stealing became an official stat in 1951. From the sandlots of Sanford, Florida, all the way to the Pantheon Of Immortals in Cooperstown, New York. This is "The Rock'. #TimRaines #SanfordFlorida #SeminoleHighSchool #MontrealExpos #AndreDawson #StolenBases #ChicagoWhiteSox #NewYorkYankees #OaklandAthletics #BaltimoreOrioles #FloridaMarlins #TimRainesJr #NationalBaseballHallOfFame

Bill Mazeroski was the embodiment of stellar defense, winning 8 Gold Glove Awards, playing his entire 17 year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, while setting the record for the most double-plays turned and assists in baseball history. But he is most remembered for arguably the greatest home run ever hit in the game. Almost every kid who has ever swung a bat at a competitive pitch has fantasized about coming up in the bottom of the ninth inning, during game 7 of the World Series, and hitting the championship clinching home run. Only one person in the long history of the game has ever realized this dream, and his name was William Stanley Mazeroski. This is his story #BillMazeroski #Maz #PittsburghPirates #BranchRickey #RalphTerry #ForbesField #NewYorkYankees #DickGroat #GeneAlley #DickSchoefield #DaveCash #WheelingWestVirgina #YogiBerra