Chin Music w/ Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III & Jim Souhan - Minnesota Twins Podcast · Talk North Podcast Network

Talking baseball

·32 min·2 clips

Oscar Gamble says the Dodgers signed “the cop that caught him,” after Ron LaFleur’s speed talk.

1. Chin Music w/ Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III & Jim Souhan uses “Talking baseball” as a story-driven Minnesota Twins conversation. 2. Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III, and Jim Souhan are the three named hosts, and their baseball access gives the episode its clubhouse perspective. 3. The episode is built around favorite baseball stories, a “booze and blue segment,” and a loose structure that lets each host trade memories. 4. Roy Smalley starts with Oscar Gamble in Comiskey Park and Ron LaFleur’s reputation as a fast former Tiger and White Sox player. 5. Roy says Gamble broke the conversation with the line, “The Dodgers just signed the cop,” after everyone praised LaFleur’s speed. 6. LaVelle Neal III answers with a Brian Buchanan story about rookie hazing and two straight years of wearing a dress during the rookie trip. 7. LaVelle says Buchanan shrugged off the humiliation by telling him, “It’s okay, Lavelle. I do this for my wife all the time.” 8. Jim Souhan then recalls his early days covering the Cardinals and Royals as a 21- or 22-year-old at the University of Missouri. 9. Souhan says Whitey Herzog explained a Cardinals third baseman’s personal problems to him before Willie McGee walked him around the clubhouse. 10. Roy follows with a Randy Bush story in which Tom Kelly and Ron Gartenhier panic as Bush ignores a stop sign and dives into third base. 11. Bush answers Gartenhier with, “Don’t you know, I’m on my own now,” after barely beating the tag. 12. LaVelle then tells the Fort Myers spring-training story about an Oscars viewing party at a cigar bar and a local reporter who seemed to put him on CNN. 13. LaVelle says Tori Hunter later admitted the CNN claim was a joke that the clubhouse held onto for weeks. 14. Roy adds a Christmas drink segment built around a wooden cask, Basil Hayden bourbon, sweet vermouth, and cherry bitters. 15. Jim Souhan asks whether old vermouth hurts Manhattan quality, and Roy says fresh vermouth and quality levels matter. 16. The conversation turns to Rob Reiner, “This is 11,” and Spinal Tap as the origin of the mockumentary style. 17. The tone stays conversational and anecdotal, with players, managers, and writers interrupting one another to extend each story. 18. The format moves quickly between baseball memories, alcohol talk, and holiday sign-off without a formal interview structure. 19. Anyone who likes Twins history, clubhouse stories, and baseball humor would fit this episode. 20. Listeners wanting game analysis, roster debate, or stats-heavy breakdowns can skip it.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Chin Music w/ Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III & Jim Souhan - Minnesota Twins Podcast