Episode 309 - Billy Hamilton was Ty Cobb Before Lou Brock Was Rickey

Dust off your spurs and grab your table-leg bats! In this episode, Jeff and Mark bridge the gap between the Old West and the diamond. We discuss why Wyatt Earp is buried in a San Francisco suburb and hunt for the best "Western" names in baseball history—from Hoot Gibson to the legendary Tony Tombstone. Then, we dig into the career of the original Billy Hamilton. Long before Rickey Henderson or Lou Brock, there was a 5'6" powerhouse from a Massachusetts cotton mill who invented the headfirst slide and averaged over a run per game. We settle the score on his "lost" stolen base records and his fuming retirement letters to the Sporting News. Finally, we travel back to the 1920s-40s for a special "Conlon Collection" version of Wax Pack Heroes, featuring a third baseman who could hold seven baseballs in one hand and a World Series riot involving flying bananas. Show Chapters & Timestamps [00:00] Intro: [03:15] BP Segment: Truck Day, Blue Sky baseball, and watching 80s games. [08:42] Rick Rizzs: Celebrating the legendary Mariners voice. [11:20] Tombstone Connections: Why Wyatt Earp is buried near "High Pockets" Kelly. [16:45] Western Baseball Names: From Doc Halladay to Dusty Baker and Pat Corrales. [24:10] The Legend of Sliding Billy Hamilton [42:30] Wax Pack Heroes (Vintage Edition) YouTube - www.youtube.com/@twostrikenoise Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/twostrikenoise Bluesky - @twostrikenoise.bsky.social Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/TwoStrikeNoise/ Instagram - @twostrikenoise E-mail - [email protected] We pull ALOT of commons in Wax Pack Heroes. If you've got those Tim Foli or Ernest Riles cards just sitting around you can donate those commons to charity and maybe spark a child's interest in baseball and collecting. Find out more here: http://commons4kids.org/ #podernfamily #podnation #baseball #mlb #history #podcast #baseballcards