Baltimore Orioles

Beautiful Baltimore.  The Inner Harbor, National Aquarium and Oriole Park at Camden Yards make Baltimore a must see among baseball fans.

In this episode, we first review what to do and see in Baltimore.  Next we get a sneak peak at Target Field which will open on April 12, 2010.  Gina Leo Stingley from Populous walks us through the features of this state of the art urban ballpark.

Our podcast crew makes their 2010 Major League Predictions.  Then comes the expert.  Professor Bruce Bukiet, math professor from the New Jersey Institute of Technology shares his 2010 predictions. Professor Bukiet has been using math models to predict the wins and losses of each team since 1998.

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Baseball PhD meets Target Field

Like anything great, we had to travel to Kansas City to learn about Target Field.  Target Field opens on April 12, 2010 in Minneapolis.  It will be the new home of the Minnesota Twins.

Target Field was designed at the world headquarters of Populous.  In the video below, Ed Kasputis interviews Michael Wekesser, lead designer for the project.

To learn about the 2012 Olympic Stadium that is being designed by Populous, click here.

A Classy City says good bye to Earl Weaver

This week is Baltimore week with our Baltimore Oriole podcast being released on Friday, April 2,  2010.  Who can forget the great Oriole manager, Earl Weaver?  Who can forget the unforgettable Howard Cosell?

The video below took place on the last day of the 1982 season.  During that summer, Weaver announced that he would retire at the end of the season.  The O’s needed to win the final game to make the playoffs.  They lost.  Enjoy.

Target Field Preview

Target Field will open on April 12, 2010. Let’s ride the light rail to the Target Field Station and choose our first seat.  Our April 9, 2010 podcast will focus on this urban ballpark.  Here’s a quick preview.

Media Articles about Target Field.

Star Tribune - All that is left is tinkering.

Star Tribune – Things to love about Target Field.

Twin Cities Business – The Coolest Ballpark in America.

Target Field on Facebook

Target Field Stories.

Philadelphia Phillies

Welcome to Baseball PhD as we explore our nation’s first capitol.  A beautiful new ballpark.  The advent of Philly Live! and a wonderful tour guide who brings General Washington’s plight at Valley Forge to a new light.  Grab a cheesesteak, three extra napkins and enjoy our podcast!

This Week’s Podcast

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2010 MLB Predictions are in!

The Professor is in!

Since 1998, Professor Bruce Bukiet has combined his love of math with his love of baseball.  Each spring, Professor Bukiet loads gobs of data into his baseball math model and then predicts how many wins each Major League Team will achieve.

Enjoy the video below.  Professor Bukiet’s full interview with Ed Kasputis will be released as part of our April 2, 2010 podcast.

New York Yankees

New York, New York!

Welcome to Baseball PhD.  New York, New York,  the unofficial capitol of the world and home to the most valuable franchise in baseball history, The New York Yankees.

In this episode, Ed, Farley and Mark talk about the Big Apple and how to enjoy it to the max.  Farley reviews his first movie – The Pride of the Yankees.  Watch it here for free!

Next Ed interviews, Jonathan Eig about his 2005 Baseball Book of the Year, Luckiest Man.  After three years of exhaustive research, Eig shares his knowledge about the game’s greatest first baseman, Lou Gehrig. The interview concludes with Ed learning that Al Capone was a loyal Cubs fan.  Learn more about Capone on April 27, 2010 as Eig’s next book, Get Capone is released.

The Wise Guys battle it out over New York Yankees history and Baseball Bob concludes our podcast with the trivia question of the podcast.  Who was the last player to hit four home runs in one game? Lou Gehrig hit four home runs in one game on June 3, 1932 against the Philadelphia Athletics.

Lou Gehrig’s Farewell speech from The Pride of the Yankees, 1942.

 

2010 Season Preview

Read the Sporting News 2010 Season Preview for the New York Yankees.

Yankee Facts:

New Yankee Stadium opened on April 16, 2009.  Capacity is 52,325 and is located across thestreet from Old Yankee Stadium in the South Bronx.

New Yankee Stadium cost $1.5 billion, making it the most expensive ball park ever built.

Old Yankee Stadium’s capacity of 57,545 was 10% bigger than New Yankee Stadium.

Flagship Radio Station is 880 AM WCBS.  All Major Leagues games can also be heard  on XM Radio.

Public Transit:  New York City has an expansive subway system.  Its the best way to get to a game at New Yankee Stadium.

Another great way to see the Big Apple is through a Circle Line Tour.

Pre-Game Rituals:  Walk the exterior of the ball park and take in the atmosphere.  Enter the park early and visit monument park.  Park opens when the gates opens and closes 45 minutes before the game.  Bring your camera!

Things to see.  The right field bleacher’s creatures roll call salute.  They clap in unison chanting the name of every Yankee on the field until each player acknowledges the cheer.  Alcohol is not sold in the right field bleachers.

Touring NYC

Times Square

Lower Manhattan

New York Stock Exchange

South Street Seaport

Battery Park

Central Park

Broadway

Greenwich Village

Seinfield diner at West 112th and Broadway

 

This Week’s Podcast

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Cactus League

Episode 3 starts with Ed, Farly and Mark longing for a plane ticket to Phoenix.  In the next best thing, Ed interviews Marvelous Marv, Grand Canyon tour guide extraordinaire.  Marvelous Marv takes our brains through the wonders of the Grand Canyon and teaches us about the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.

Rodney Johnson from playballexperience.com teaches us about the history of the Cactus League and then the Wise Guys test their knowledge about spring training in Arizona.  Lastly, Baseball Bob makes his glorious debut and presents his trivia question of the podcast.  What current U.S. Senator pitched a no hitter in both leagues?

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Grapefruit League

With the advent of March comes the advent of the Grapefruit League.  Sunny Florida in March is always better than snow.  In this episode, former Pittsburgh resident and current Floridian, Ed Luteran (pictured left) shares his advice on how fellow snowbirds can enjoy their Grapefruit League vacation.  Ed also talks about his duties as an employee of MLB.com during spring training.

 

Nick Gandy (pictured left) then joins our podcast.  Nick is the Director of Communications for the Florida Sports Foundation.  Nick shares his views on how to maximize your Grapefruit League vacation and reminds us that his 2010 Grapefruit League Guide is second to none.

 

 

Lastly, the Wise Guys (pictured below) make their podcast debut as the trio battles in a game of baseball history trivia.  Who will win between Who, What or I don’t know?

 

 

 

 

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