Detroit Tigers Hitting Coach Scott Coolbaugh

Ed played for 17 years with the Vikings, was on all four of the teams that went to the Super Bowl between 1969-77, and then with the Chargers as well playing under legendary coaches Bud Grant and Don Coryell and with legends like Dan Fouts, Fran Tarkenton, Ron Yary, Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, Kellen Winslow among many others. He was also an O-line coach in the NFL with the Rams and Chargers and in college at Cal, his alma mater, and San Diego State. He is a thriving artist and fights hard for those former players dealing with health issues after their playing days..really intersting guy and career..

Vinny was undrafted out of a Division, persisted, perservered, worked his ass off and made it to the big leagues with the Brewers, Indians and Mets and even homered off of Cole Hamels. Now entering his third season as the Brewers pre and post game analyst, he's carved out a nice post-playing career for himself as he details his road to the big leagues as well as talking about the past and future of the Brewers, who failed to make the playoffs in 2022 after leading the NL Central for a good chunk of the season. The passion for the game is hard to miss..

He oversaw the 1988 Dodgers team that scrapped their way to an upset win over the heavily favored Oakland A's in five games in World Series in his first year in the top role after almost 20 years in the organization in various roles like marketing and public relations, where he came up with the phrase "Dodger Blue." We start off talking about the legendary Jackie Robinson and move into his work with young sports business students in southern California and talk about numerous Dodgers legends as well as the current state of the game. Great insights from someone who lived it for a long, long time..

Lary broke into the big leagues a year after being drafted by the Brewers out of Michigan and in his first full season, in 1978, was an All-Star and 18-game winner. He was traded by Milwaukee to St. Louis in the famous deal that sent Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons and Pete Vukovich to the American League, where they would help the Crew reach the post-season in 1981-82. From there, Lary spent time with the Indians, A's, Cubs, Expos and Giants before retiring with 93 wins, 235 games started and a career ERA of 4.15. He quickly found success as a broadcaster with ESPN and the Tigers before some personal issues took him away from the game until he resurfaced calling Wake Forest football and baseball games. An interesting journey with someone who lived through the 1981 baseball strike as well as being involved now in the analytics side of the game.  Hope you enjoy!

He is currently the associate head coach at Rice, where he played and was an integral member of the Owls' 2003 national championship team. Paul went on to play in all or parts of nine seasons in the big leagues with the Reds, Braves and Orioles and discusses his playing for Dusty Baker and Buck Showalter. One of the genuine "good guys" in the sport and also a big fantasy football player.

Former big league pitcher with the Brewers for parts of four seasons (2008-09, 2011-12) who appeared in 73 big league games. Son of former big league infielder Steve Dillard who wound up pitching for 17 seasons, including 9 in Nashville where he is the record holder for many categories, including games, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. Social media sensation with his recreations of movie scenes who served as the Brewers pre and post game analyst on tv during the just completed 2021 season. Also known for his spot on impression of baseball writer Tim Kurkjian. Enjoy..

Parra pitched for the Brewers and Reds from 2007-15 as both a starter and reliever and compiled 29 wins over 322 games. He tossed only the third-ever 9 inning perfect game in Pacific Coast League history in 2007 (ironically, as we were recording on May 5, Baltimore's John Means came close to tossing a perfect game and settled for a no-hitter) in just his second Triple-A start shortly before earning his promotion to the big leagues. The left-hander battled injuries throughout his career but is still contemplating giving it one more go in Mexico this season. A really insightful look at pitching, the influence of pitching coaches and family on the life of a pro ball player. 

Doug toed the rubber for 11 years in the big leagues between 1991-2001 with the Brewers, Mets, Giants, Astros and Royals before becoming a coach in the Braves and Kansas City organizations. He and I crossed paths in Triple-A Omaha in 2011-12 before he became the Royals bullpen coach and was a part of their World Series championship team in 2015. He played with Barry Bonds in college and in the big leagues and is a staunch defender of the controversial outfielder. Tune in, I think you'll enjoy our retrospective of his career and some of the other guys he played for and with.  

Friends since we worked together in El Paso in 1999, Coolbaugh and I discuss his new position and team and past roles with the Rangers, Orioles and White Sox as well as his playing career in the big leagues and overseas. He is a baseball lifer who has been coaching for 20+ years and has been able to adapt well to the use of data and analytics in his approach to teaching hitting. We left our after the game stories for when we see each other in person..hope you enjoy!!

We discuss a range of topics including the recent Hall of Fame voting, Mike Trout, the Yankees, the Phillies (our hometown team) signing of JT Realmuto and hiring of Dave Dombrowksi, where Trevor Bauer might land and the passing of the legendary Hank Aaron. A lot covered in about a half hour of baseball conversation.