STITCH X STITCH PODCAST

In this episode of "Stitch x Stitch'' we connect with Kent Tekulve, one of the most durable and efficient closers in Major League Baseball history. With his lanky frame, aviator glasses and submarine delivery, the man called "Teke'' was a true baseball original. He overcame long odds to amass 184 saves in 1,050 career appearances, achieving his signature moment when he recorded the final out in the Pirates' 1979 World Series win over the Orioles. Tekulve endeared himself to teammates and fans with his everyman persona and self-effacing humor, but he always rose to the occasion. He took an active role in Players Association leadership and was instrumental in helping the players navigate strikes, lockouts and numerous other tests to their unity and resolve. On the mound and in the bargaining room, he never backed down from a challenge.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

In this episode of “Stitch x Stitch” we connect with Jay Bell, a two-time All-Star, Gold Glover, Silver Slugger and 2001 World Series champion over 18 major league seasons. Jay was active in union leadership for much of his career and played a pivotal role in 1994-95, when players held firm during a 232-strike in opposition to a salary cap. As National League player representative, Jay articulated many of the players’ positions publicly, while constantly dispensing information and keeping his fellow players focused and unified behind the scenes. His commitment never wavered, on or off the field.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

This week's guest is Ed Lynch, whose passion for the game never wavered across decades as a player, front office executive and scout. Ed grew up a Mets fan in the 1960s and later had the privilege of pitching in the same rotation as his boyhood idol, Tom Seaver. He received an education in baseball labor history from another Mets great, Rusty Staub, and immersed himself in his role as the team's player representative. After his retirement in 1987, Ed obtained his law degree from the University of Miami. He worked in player development in San Diego, spent years as a scout in Chicago and Toronto, and was the Cubs’ general manager during the 1994-95 strike. But he’ll never stop thinking like a player. As Ed told us, “It'll never leave me. I was a player too long.’’

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

This week's guest on "Stitch x Stitch'' is David Aardsma, a 2003 first-round draft pick who pitched for eight MLB clubs and made 18 stops in the minors and independent ball during his professional career. "You fall in love with the grind,'' he told us. David shares some entertaining stories about how he met his wife, his days as Barry Bonds' teammate in San Francisco, and his experiences in the negotiating room during collective bargaining. His long and winding journey prompted him to take an active role in player leadership as a member of the Executive Subcommittee, and he gained an appreciated for the importance of the union in protecting the rights of players on issues big and (seemingly) small. He never lost sight of his responsibility to leave it better for the game or the players who followed.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

Our guest this episode is former big league pitcher Todd Stottlemyre. Todd and his brother, Mel Jr., grew up as self-described “baseball brats’’ who had a blast roaming Monument Park pre-game when their dad, Mel, was the lead dog in the Yankees’ rotation in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Todd lived the dream over 14 seasons as a starter with the Blue Jays and four other clubs, and was a part of back-to-back World Championship teams in Toronto in 1992 and 1993. He received an education in baseball economics in 1994 when players went on strike to fend off a salary cap, commissioner Bud Selig canceled the World Series, and he joined dozens of other players at a camp for unsigned free agents in Homestead, Florida, the following spring. It was a career, a grind and an adventure, all rolled into one.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

In this episode we connect with Mike Myers, who logged 883 career appearances as a reliever with nine teams over 13 big league seasons. When the affable Chicago native and Iowa State University product wasn’t tasked with the thankless responsibility of facing Barry Bonds, David Ortiz, Jim Thome or Ken Griffey Jr. in a tight spot, he was skillfully navigating the uncertainty of life as left-handed one out guy – aka “LOOGY.’’ Mike immersed himself in union leadership as a young player with the Tigers in the mid-90s and continues to serve the membership in his current role as a special assistant for player services with the MLBPA. Mike talks to a lot of players, and fields inquiries on everything from the pension and benefit plans to the whys and wherefores of moving expenses. If a player has a question, there’s a 99.9 percent chance he’s got the answer.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

This week’s guest on “Stitch x Stitch’’ is Steve Rogers, a five-time All-Star who spent his entire 13-year career with the Montreal Expos. Steve was a true workhorse on the mound, ranking third in the major leagues behind Phil Niekro and Steve Carlton in innings pitched from 1974-83. He was also a respected player leader and a key advisor to Marvin Miller and Donald Fehr during a time of rapid change for the union and the game. Steve began working full-time for the Players Association in the late ‘90s and continues to contribute with his historical perspective and encyclopedic knowledge of the union’s pension and benefit plans. His passion for the game and the cause of players burns just as brightly today as it did when he threw his first big league pitch with the Expos in 1973.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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 his most memorable moments on the field, in the dugout, in the broadcast booth and the negotiating room. For all that he’s accomplished in the game, he will always be a player at heart.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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 during the longest strike in MLB history. He covers a lot of ground in this entertaining and informative sit-down.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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, Curt Flood and other trailblazers on the game, and reflect on their own paths from humble beginnings to baseball immortality in Cooperstown.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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 Episode 1 of this two-part conversation, the three friends share their baseball origin stories, and talk about their roads to the big leagues and their education in the economics of the game.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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 a kid in Southern California, and that passion for the game has never waned.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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 game at age 32. Fifty years later -- after a long and successful run as a pitching coach and mentor to many -- he shares his memories of a momentous time for baseball labor and the game.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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 union meeting in the outfield to an awkward encounter with a general manager who responded to his request for a raise with silence and a puff of cigar smoke. Dierker shares his story with an eye for detail, a wry sense of humor, and an enduring commitment to the player fraternity and the game he loves.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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 guardian of the game.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.

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.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

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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.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

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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 unite Players across generations.

“Stitch x Stitch’’ is part of a year-long recognition of the 60th anniversary of the union’s founding under executive director Marvin Miller. The weekly podcast is hosted by Jerry Crasnick, associate director of player, agent and media affairs at the MLBPA and a former baseball journalist for more than 30 years. Previous guests include the late Phil Garner, Reggie Smith, Dave Stewart and Rick Monday, the No. 1 pick in the first MLB amateur draft in 1965.

PROTECT. DEFEND. ADVANCE.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) represents all Major and Minor League Baseball players employed by the 30 MLB clubs. We collectively bargain, protect and advance player rights, amplify player voices, and help shape the future of the game.

Website: https://www.mlbplayers.com
️ Podcast: https://www.mlbplayers.com/podcast

Follow the MLBPA:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlbpa
• X: https://x.com/mlbpa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLBPA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MLBPA

Stay connected for player stories, exclusive content, podcasts, videos, community initiatives, and the latest MLBPA news.