STITCH X STITCH PODCAST

This week's guest on "Stitch x Stitch'' is John Albert "Buck'' Martinez, a beloved figure in Toronto and a baseball fixture for nearly 60 years as a player, manager, author and broadcaster. Buck spent 17 seasons as a backup catcher in the big leagues with the Blue Jays, Royals and Brewers, but his impact went well beyond statistics. He was a leader, a respected teammate, and a trusted ally of Marvin Miller and Donald Fehr through some bruising labor confrontations in the 1970s and ‘80s. As Buck awaits induction into the Blue Jays' Hall of Excellence, he reflects upon some of hi...

In this episode of "Stitch x Stitch'' we feature Bret Boone, the product of an esteemed, three-generation family of major leaguers. His grandfather, Ray, was a World War II Navy veteran and a 13-year big leaguer. His father, Bob, was a World Champion and seven-time Gold Glove-winning catcher. Bret perpetuated the family legacy with his brother Aaron, making three All-Star teams and winning four Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards during a 14-year MLB career. Like his dad, Bret played an active role in union leadership, including a stint as the Cincinnati Reds' assistant player representative in 1994-95...

In part 2 of their wide-ranging conversation, Ferguson Jenkins, Andre Dawson and Lee Smith delve further into baseball economics and the changing landscape that paralleled the growth of the MLBPA. Jenkins had to fight for compensation befitting his stature as one of baseball’s elite and most durable starters, and Hawk emerged as a conquering hero from the collusion era when he hit 49 homers, drove in 137 runs and won the National League MVP award in 1987 after a bold gambit allowing the Cubs to fill in the number on a blank contract. The three Cubs discuss the impact of Jackie Robinson, Cu...

In this episode, we’re privileged to sit down with three legendary Chicago Cubs with something very special in common: They all have plaques in Cooperstown. Fergie Jenkins, Andre Dawson and Lee Smith combined to make 18 All-Star Games while putting their impressive individual stamps on the game. Fergie: The staff ace and Cy Young winner with five 300-inning seasons to his credit. Hawk: The consummate blend of power and speed, with that cannon arm in right. And Big Lee, who cast an enormous shadow from the moment the bullpen door swung open in the seventh, eighth or ninth. In Ep...

Rick Monday joins the MLBPA's "Stitch x Stitch'' podcast and shares stories from six eventful decades in professional ball. Rick made history as the No. 1 pick in MLB's first-ever amateur draft in 1965, and played 19 seasons as an outfielder with the Athletics, Cubs and Dodgers before transitioning to a distinguished career as a broadcaster in LA. He reflects on his interactions with Dodger legends Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully, his military service, and that memorable day in 1976 when he rescued the American flag from protestors intent on burning it in the Dodger Stadium outfield. He got the baseball bug as...

Dick Bosman, this week’s guest on Stitch x Stitch, won an American League ERA title in 1969 and threw a 79-pitch no-hitter against Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando and the World Champion Oakland A’s in 1974, while armed with a fastball that topped out in the mid-80s. He was also a steadfast ally of Marvin Miller, at a time when taking a strong stance on labor matters could be hazardous to a player’s career aspirations. Dick weathered the 1972 strike as the Texas Rangers’ player representative, but he remains convinced that his union advocacy led to him being blackballed from the...

Larry Dierker, our latest guest on Stitch x Stitch, broke into the big leagues as a “bonus baby’’ with the Houston Colt .45s in 1964 and celebrated his 18th birthday with a first inning strikeout of Willie Mays. Over the next four decades, he became synonymous with Houston baseball as a two-time All-Star pitcher, Astros manager and team broadcaster. In this episode, Dierker reflects on the formative years of the union and the partnership between Marvin Miller and players that forever changed the game. His memories run the gamut -- from Leo Durocher scattering players with fungoes as they assembled for a u...

Woody Woodward on Hank Aaron, the Big Red Machine & Baseball’s Economic Revolution

Chapters

(00:00:05) - Woody Woodward on the Players' Association(00:04:13) - Henry Aaron's Relationship With His Teammates(00:10:49) - Tom Ley on the Players Association(00:19:45) - Marvin Miller on the Players Association(00:26:39) - Woody Cloninger on the CBA(00:33:55) - Phil Jackson on Marvin Miller and the Players Association(00:39:50) - Woody Woodward on the MLBPA and the Game

 Six-time All-Star Sam “Sudden Sam” McDowell joins Stitch x Stitch for an unfiltered look at the early years of the MLBPA and the uphill battles Players faced long before free agency reshaped the game. Raised in a Pittsburgh union household, McDowell first encountered Marvin Miller as a child attending a steelworkers’ meeting with his father. He immersed himself in union leadership as a young strikeout machine with the Cleveland Indians in the 1960s, and never hesitated to make his voice heard or his presence felt during the formative years of the MLBPA.

Chapters

(00:00:05) - Sam McDowell on The...

Dave Stewart joins the MLBPA's Stitch x Stitch Podcast with a rare, full spectrum view of baseball’s labor history, shaped by his years as a World Series MVP, Roberto Clemente Award winner, and one of baseball's famed "Black Aces.'' He reflects upon his Oakland roots, the influence of veterans like Dusty Baker, Davey Lopes and Reggie Smith during his formative years with the Dodgers, and the lessons he learned from the 1981 strike. Stewart carried that same passion into his post-career stints as a Player agent and big-league general manager, and he continues to embrace his role as a...

Seven-time All-Star and 1981 World Series champion Reggie Smith joins Stitch x Stitch for a powerful, firsthand look at baseball’s labor history and the civil rights struggles woven into his early career. From confronting racism in minor league towns to absorbing the lessons he learned from Marvin Miller, Jackie Robinson and other influential figures, Smith explains how his experiences shaped his commitment to the MLBPA and the advancement of Players who would come after him.

Chapters

(00:00:05) - Reggie Smith on the Baseball Players Association(00:05:38) - Reggie Smith on Jackie Robinson(00:11:47) - Marvin Davis on the Baseball Pla...

Phil Garner, the hard-nosed infielder known as “Scrap Iron,’’ joined Stitch x Stitch for a colorful look at the battles that shaped modern baseball, from the early fights over the reserve clause to the birth of free agency, the chaos of collusion, and the replacement spring of 1995. He explained how young Players learned to navigate an all-powerful ownership class, why pioneers like Curt Flood and Andy Messersmith changed the entire sport, and how Marvin Miller’s steady leadership taught Players to debate, organize and stand together.

Chapters

(00:00:06) - A message on unity(00:00:27) - Phil Garner on the Play...

COMING SOON: The Major League Baseball Players Association has a rich history dating back to its inception under founding executive director Marvin Miller in 1966. The MLBPA's Stitch x Stitch Podcast seeks to tell that story through the eyes of Players, who share their personal recollections of the union's early growth, nine strikes and lockouts, and the contributions of Miller, Curt Flood, Andy Messersmith, and so many other groundbreaking figures. 

For this project we've interviewed Players whose careers cover a span of seven decades, and collected an oral history that charts the union's path and the bonds that u...