The Good Man Show

Send us Fan MailWe sit down with legendary coach Don Erickson and bounce from jokes to the real stuff fast, from tough love and player respect to how coaches stay calm after a brutal loss. We also dig into offseason throwing, baseball’s shifting strategy, and why the sport still rewards the people who think, adjust, and keep learning. • debating statues, mascots, and what “Ricky The Ram” even is • building Caliburn Bats with a CNC machine, learning by breaking and fixing • coaching tough love privately, keeping correction respectful • player pushback stories, plus the “palms up” and “my bad” pet peeves • missed signs, take signs, and how one pitch can swing a season • post-loss decompression, dugout characters, and how coaches vent • designing a shallow offseason throwing ramp for youth and high school pitchers • growth plates, Little League elbow risk, and why less can be more • mechanics myths, Mark Prior, and the mental side of staying healthy • ABL coaching, adapting to baseball’s cycles without losing your standards • pitch counts, fewer complete games, and the cat-and-mouse hitters miss • using pace as a weapon and why baseball IQ still matters All of November are ready to ship bats. They’re on sale for $99 Support the show

Send us Fan MailA five-run swing can happen fast in fall baseball, but the real story is what you do after it happens. We’re coming to you late night with the weekend recap that every coach recognizes: too many walks, too many free bases, and a game that flips from up big to down big before you can blink. We talk through the in-game choices that matter most when the clock is ticking, including why “throw strikes” beats raw velocity when you’re trying to survive tournament chaos and get to a walk-off.Then we get honest about leadership, culture, and the stuff people don’t say out loud. Sometimes a team needs calm teaching. Sometimes it needs a jolt. We unpack the “Winning Ugly” mindset, the John McEnroe style attention grab, and why a leader might have to play a role to get everyone locked back in. From there, we lay out what fall ball is actually for in youth baseball and travel baseball: evaluation, development, and earning jobs, not guaranteed playing time. We also draw a bright line between a good parent question and a bad parent confrontation.Finally, we bring it to the pros with the Chicago White Sox, postseason strikeouts, and the debate every hitter and coach is living in right now: approach at the plate, two-strike plans, and analytics versus baseball instincts. If you’ve ever wondered why a lineup suddenly looks lost when the pressure spikes, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share this with a coach or baseball parent, and leave a review with your take: what’s the simplest hitting approach that actually holds up in October?Support the show

Send us Fan MailOctober flips a switch in our brains and you can hear it right away. We’re counting the hours until Wednesday because the White Sox have us fully locked in: tickets ready, tailgate plans forming, and that stubborn belief that the better team finds a way when it matters. We talk MLB playoff baseball the way fans actually talk about it: momentum, matchups, bad breaks, and those bizarre stadium roof rules that can change a series in one swing.Then we shift from the big-league stage to the biggest fall stage for high school players: the Jupiter tournament. We break down why Jupiter and Perfect Game style events draw scouts, cross-checkers, and every college coach you can name, but also why “everyone should go” is a myth. Exposure can earn offers or cost them, and confidence is a real part of player development. We also get honest about today’s college baseball recruiting landscape, dead periods, and how the transfer portal changes the smartest path for athletes who want to keep climbing.After that, it’s classic Good Man Show chaos: travel sickness, fall allergies, rewards apps stealing your points, and the Bears quarterback debate turning into a full-on argument about Tyson Bagent, Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson, and playing within a system. We wrap with baseball memory lane and a few rules we try to live by. If you like Chicago sports, youth baseball recruiting, and unfiltered takes on analytics vs gut feel, hit play, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave us a review.Support the show

Send us Fan MailHe gets the call during practice and everything changes. We’re celebrating a huge milestone as Josh finally lands a head high school baseball coaching job, and we don’t keep it abstract. We talk through the real first moves: meeting parents, building a staff, setting standards, and turning years of notes into a clear baseball culture and coaching philosophy that players can actually live every day. If you’re into high school baseball, youth sports leadership, or program building, this is the nuts and bolts with the emotion left in. Then the weekend stories hit. Midwest rain wrecks schedules, a Milwaukee tournament game literally loses the lights, and the entire dugout has to decide whether to fold or stay ready. That turns into a bigger lesson on controllables vs uncontrollables and why how you handle umpires matters more than most coaches want to admit. We also recap a gritty playoff win where walks and jams pile up, defense holds, and “winning ugly” becomes the point. Because we’re us, we also pivot into Chicago Bears talk: bad-weather offense, the Caleb Williams hamstring scare, fan panic, and the backup arguments that spiral fast. And yes, there’s a surprise segment on Landscaping 101, why straight mowing lines somehow matter, and why the little rituals like ice cream after games can be the best glue for kids, families, and teams. If you liked the mix of coaching, sports stories, and real-life habits, subscribe, share this with a coach or sports parent, and leave us a review. What’s one “little thing” you swear actually changes everything?Support the show

Send us Fan MailWe jump from a LaGrange traffic stop into a full breakdown of what actually wins games, from youth baseball pressure moments to NFL Week One reality checks. We celebrate a Grand Park championship, debate buy-in and accountability, and finish with a hard-earned reminder that bigger challenges require a bigger response. • a pulled-over story that turns into a lesson on staying calm and prepared • a Grand Park championship run explained through pitching, defense, and situational hitting • shifting game energy by reading catcher and infield body language • managing a big roster while keeping players engaged and clear on roles • the Group A, Group B, Group C buy-in framework and why winning the middle matters • homecoming season conflicts and what choices reveal about goals • recruiting conversations and uncertainty in the college baseball and MLB landscape • NFL Week One takeaways with a focus on why defense wins championships • baseball nostalgia at the field, the ice cream man, and why those memories stick • customer service and service-provider accountability from Comcast to yard work • late-season MLB tactics and when bunting and small ball return Go tell him the good man show sent you. Go ahead down to Newman's Corner Pub. Say hi to Jeff Naraki. Tell him the good man show sent you. Support the show

Send us Fan MailWe disappear for a bit, then come back exactly how we left off: honest, loud, and obsessed with doing baseball the right way. Josh and Dan catch up on a long summer of tryouts, travel ball, and fall schedules, including a brutal loss that still stings and the one small play that could have changed the whole game. From there we get into the day-to-day reality of coaching youth baseball, where missed signs and bad awareness are not “little mistakes” when you’re trying to build winners.Fall baseball is the big theme. We talk about why fallball is a development cheat code in the Midwest, how playing more actually builds baseball IQ, and why “I’m going to train instead of play” often turns into an excuse. We also break down what we want in players: competitors who pay attention, learn situations, and put the team first. Talent helps, but it doesn’t automatically win, especially when the pressure shows up.Then we hit a college baseball recruiting topic that’s all over social media right now: the “School Name?” uncommitted visit post. We explain why it can rub college coaches the wrong way, how one post can live forever, and what a better approach looks like if you want to play at the next level. Along the way we drop a wood bat note, a couple sponsors, and even a few life updates and dating debates that you’ll definitely have an opinion on.If you enjoy real talk on travel baseball, fall baseball development, and recruiting culture, subscribe, share this with a baseball parent or player, and leave us a review.Support the show

Send us Fan MailFather’s Day brings up the best memories and the sharpest grief, so we talk honestly about losing our dads and still feeling them in the way we coach and live. Baseball stays the thread through it all, from youth tournaments and tryouts to what we think the pro game is getting right and wrong. • remembering our dads through church, coaching habits, and family time • baseball friendships that feel like real family • Midwest Prospect League recap, scouting presence, and learning to compete in the zone • St. Elmo’s tradition, road stories, and team travel life • why the blow pop moment feels like a standards problem • old-school pace, disrupting timing, and what the universal DH changed • all-stars, tryout season, and preparing bodies for heat and long weekends • a pair of father stories that capture pride, joy, and embarrassment If you still have your father, follow me. Say, hey, how you doing? Just thinking of you. Support the show

Send us Fan MailA humid day at the field turns into a full reset for how we think about coaching when a routine batting practice pitch slips and clips a kid. The player is okay, but the moment sticks, and we get honest about guilt, the “yips,” and the pressure of being the adult who has to stay calm even when you feel sick to your stomach. That leads into the bigger question we keep coming back to all summer: what actually helps players get better, and what just looks good from the stands or on social media?From there we go rapid-fire through the baseball calendar. We talk high school baseball and IHSA super sectionals, the teams we like down the stretch, and what separates a real June contender from a team that just had a hot week. We also get into the coaching carousel and why networking matters, how not to burn bridges, and why you can’t afford to be picky until you’ve actually earned that privilege.Then we hit the cultural stuff everyone’s arguing about right now: Savannah Bananas-style entertainment baseball, the weird spin-offs, and where fun ends and respect for the craft begins. We review youth sports complexes and turf quality, share travel ball reality, and ramp up for a bucket-list trip to the College World Series in Omaha. Finally, we break down the NCAA transfer portal madness: why guys enter, how to find the right next home, and whether limiting transfers could bring back real development and program culture.If you enjoy candid baseball talk with equal parts laughs and blunt truth, subscribe, share this with a coach or parent, and leave a review so more people can find the show.Support the show

Send us Fan MailA random ballpark heckler can be funny, but youth baseball drama is not. We start with a White Sox Cubs weekend, field access, and what it’s like meeting names like Harold Baines, then we pivot into the conversations that parents and coaches actually wrestle with: playing time, “daddy ball,” and how to keep a team culture from getting toxic when emotions run hot.From there we get into college baseball eligibility and the proposed “five-for-five” rule. If every player gets five years the moment they arrive on campus, it could simplify the clock while also changing roster math, transfer decisions, and how long older players stick around. We talk through the real downstream effects for high school athletes, college programs, and development, plus why rule changes keep creating new gray areas the moment someone gets upset and challenges them.Then we open up the bigger topic: the shadiness in youth baseball. Recruiting within teams, social media hype for kids who are not even in high school, anonymous letters, false promises, and parents drinking at 10 a.m. all create a setting where fights and bad decisions become way too common. We finish with practical advice for players heading to summer baseball and living with host families: respect the house, learn the rules, help out, and do not act entitled. If you like honest baseball talk with real coaching perspective, subscribe, share this with a baseball parent, and leave a review. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen at a youth game?Support the show

Send us Fan MailWe dedicate the show to Cookie and share why she meant so much to our baseball family, then we shift into the realities of coaching, competing, and growing through a long spring. We break down tournament lessons, the playing time conversations parents get wrong, and the base running details that quietly decide close games. • remembering Cookie’s impact and the standard she set • tournament recap from Super Select to championship runs • how age groups and roster makeup change results year to year • why parents should coach the kid not attack the coach • what to do instead of complaining about playing time • teaching moments from real base running mistakes and weird rules • pitcher patterns, tells, dirt ball reads, and sharing info in the dugout • why the best base runner is usually not the fastest Go see Don at Caliburn Bat, man. Get your bat. Coaches, you need your fungos, get a fungo. Head over to Newman’s Corner Pub. Tell him The Good Man Show sent you. Say hi to Jeff.Support the show