From Ballfields to Battlefields

SilentPunt Podcast 217 / July 2, 2026 This week on the SilentPunt Podcast, I’m joined by Christopher Warner, author of Playing for Keeps: Legendary Athletes in Combat During World War II. Since this is a July 4th edition of the show, we talk about athletes who did more than simply serve during the war. These were men who had already become champions, stars, record-setters, and future Hall of Famers — and then found themselves in places where the stakes were no longer wins, losses, trophies, or box scores. Chris and I get into the stranger-than-fiction life of Barney Ross, Bob Feller’s decision to enlist after Pearl Harbor, Tom Harmon’s survival story, Emlen Tunnell’s heroism in the Coast Guard, Yogi Berra’s D-Day experience, and Chuck Bednarik’s time as a B-24 gunner before becoming “Concrete Charlie.” We also talk about Chris’s own background as an athlete, writer, actor, and historian, and why he wanted the book to move across baseball, football, boxing, track, swimming, bobsled, and more. Subscribe to SilentPunt for free — so Red Forman doesn’t call you a d*****s. 📚 Chapters 00:00 — Welcome to the July 4th episode01:13 — Barney Ross: boxer, Marine, war hero, and survivor06:59 — Jack Ruby, Stallone, and the strange threads of history08:15 — Who made the book — and why some famous names didn’t10:07 — Chris Warner’s path from athlete to writer13:31 — Bob Feller, family history, and the roots of the book16:59 — Uncle Tom, glider pilots, and family war history18:34 — Tom Harmon: Heisman winner, plane crashes, and survival23:48 — Warren Spahn, false praise, and getting war stories right26:07 — Veterans’ silence and what they carried home29:22 — Emlen Tunnell: heroism, race, and forgotten greatness36:52 — Yogi Berra, D-Day, and real pressure38:25 — Chuck Bednarik, B-24s, and football toughness43:02 — Where to find Playing for Keeps and final thoughts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.silentpunt.com