The Case For: A Baseball Hall of Fame Podcast · Russell Christian

Episode 26 - An Interview with Chuck Brodsky

·1 hr 15 min·5 clips

When my mom passed, the only things I wanted to find were the Hank Aaron game stub and our last photo together.

Russell Christian starts with a childhood memory about Richie Allen and how he first saw the game before moving into the episode’s special format. He explains that this is only the second interview he has done for the podcast, and the different intro music makes it clear the show is heading in a new direction. Christian sits down with Chuck Brodsky, a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter who has written baseball songs and two full baseball albums, The Baseball Ballads and The Baseball Ballads 2. Brodsky talks about the overlap between baseball, music, and storytelling. He also explains why he is usually drawn to lesser-known figures instead of the most heavily written-about legends. That instinct drives the Eddie Klepp story. He came across Klepp’s name and realized there was a song there. A suggestion from his father sent him to the Baseball Hall of Fame for help. Brodsky called the Hall not knowing it had a research department. Tim Wiles answered the request and did not know Klepp either. Then Wiles connected the dots. He checked the files, found a couple of pages Brodsky could use, and Brodsky turned that information into a song. The episode uses that story to show how baseball research and songwriting can feed each other. Christian keeps the conversation relaxed and lets Brodsky’s details do the work. The ending brings the interview back to appreciation and future listening.

As heard by us

A baseball interview that finds its best moments in songs, memory, and a curious Hall of Fame research trail.

This episode leaves the usual player-by-player Hall of Fame case behind and settles into a conversation with Chuck Brodsky about baseball, music, and the songs he has written about the game.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want a Hall of Fame podcast that follows baseball into song and research?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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