Best Tim Hanlon Podcasts (2025)

1
WWII Innovation Machine: Freedom's Forge and the Arsenal of Democracy [Bill Conley] - CSP S04E21 1:06:44

2d ago1:06:44

1:06:44

WWII Innovation Machine: Freedom's Forge and the Arsenal of Democracy - Interview with Bill Conley How did America transform from a peacetime economy to the "arsenal of democracy" before entering WWII? In this compelling interview, Dr. Bill Conley—former Director of Electronic Warfare at DARPA and current CTO at Mercury Systems—delves into the insi…

1
393: The NFL Incorporates AAFC Stats - With Ken Crippen 1:11:38

5d ago1:11:38

1:11:38

In a surprise move that instantly reshapes the league’s historical narrative, the National Football League last month announced it will now officially incorporate statistics from the upstart All-America Football Conference (AAFC), the short-lived but impactful rival professional football league that operated from 1946 to 1949. The decision brings l…

1
392: Dan Pastorini & The Houston Oilers 1:37:36

12d ago1:37:36

1:37:36

This week, we're thrilled to welcome a true legend of grit and perseverance — former NFL quarterback Dan Pastorini ("Taking Flak: Life In The Fast Lane"). Born and raised in the Bay Area, Pastorini made his mark early at Bellarmine College Prep before starring at nearby Santa Clara University, where he etched his name into the school’s record books…

1
391: The NASL's Chicago Sting (& More!) - With Karl-Heinz Granitza 2:00:47

19d ago2:00:47

2:00:47

Live and direct from Pottsdam, it's the one-and-only Karl-Heinz Granitza — the prolific German striker who became the face of the North American Soccer League's iconic Chicago Sting -- and a transformative figure in American soccer during his seven outdoor seasons across the late 1970s & early 1980s. A 2003 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee and…

1
390: Sports Broadcaster Jim Lampley 1:58:41

26d ago1:58:41

1:58:41

It's a bucket-list conversation this week with legendary sports broadcaster Jim Lampley as he shares insights and anecdotes from his new memoir, "It Happened!: A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television." With a career spanning five decades, Lampley takes us behind the scenes of some of the most indelible moments in modern-day sports broadcasting, …

1
Supercharging the DEFENSE Innovation Game for an Unrivaled Advantage! [Mike Brown] CSP S04E20 44:05

1M ago44:05

44:05

"Supercharging the DEFENSE Innovation Game for an Unrivaled Advantage!" with guest Mike Brown The Cold Star Project - Season 4, Episode 20 Hosted, Directed, and Produced by Jason Kanigan War On the Rocks article: https://warontherocks.com/2023/09/revisiting-the-hedge-strategy-with-renewed-urgency/ Fast Follower Strategy paper: https://coldstarproje…

1
389: The 1925 NFL Champion(?) Pottsville Maroons - With David Fleming 1:44:02

1M ago1:44:02

1:44:02

It's our long-overdue dive into one of the most controversial stories in National Football League history — the tale of the Pottsville Maroons and its stolen 1925 championship — with ESPN journalist and author David Fleming, whose acclaimed 2007 book "Breaker Boys: The NFL's Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship" is newly apropos on the 10…

1
388: "1978: Baseball & America in the Disco Era" - With David Krell 1:20:03

1M ago1:20:03

1:20:03

We boot up our trusty Flux Capacitor this week for a trip back to 1978 -- a year when baseball provided a much-needed escape for a nation in flux. We sit down with David Krell, author of "1978: Baseball and America in the Disco Era," to relive one of Major League Baseball’s most unforgettable seasons — one filled with historic milestones, dramatic …

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387: The BAA, NBL & the Merger That Created the NBA - With Josh Elias 1:46:43

2M ago1:46:43

1:46:43

Sports historian Josh Elias stops by for a deep unraveling of the often misunderstood story behind the 1949 merger that created the National Basketball Association (NBA) as we know it today. Drawing from his historically essential 2024 book The Birth of the Modern NBA: Pro Basketball in the Year of the Merger, 1949-1950, Elias takes us back to the …

1
386: The NHL's Unlikely First Season - With Bob Duff 1:27:52

2M ago1:27:52

1:27:52

We go North of the border this week for the curious story of the dramatic and chaotic origins of the National Hockey League with hockey historian and long-time Windsor Star sports columnist Bob Duff ("The First Season: 1917-18 and the Birth of the NHL"). While today’s NHL is a global powerhouse celebrating over a century of hockey history, its very…

1
385: Batavia's Baseball "Homestand" - With Will Bardenwerper 1:28:57

2M ago1:28:57

1:28:57

America’s pastime has long been more than just a game - it’s a reflection of the country itself. But what happens when the heart and soul of small-town baseball is threatened by the forces of modern sports economics? We sit down with New York Times-bestselling author ("The Prisoner in His Palace") and former Army Ranger Will Bardenwerper to discuss…

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384: Basketball's Nomadic Nets - With Rick Laughland 1:48:41

2M ago1:48:41

1:48:41

Strap in and try to keep up, as we attempt to follow the peripatetic 58-year journey of one of the NBA's most wandering franchises - with New York-area sports beat reporter Rick Laughland ("A History of the Nets: From Teaneck to Brooklyn"). Today's Brooklyn Nets club began its life in 1967 as the New Jersey Americans - a charter member of the Ameri…

1
383: The Original San Jose Earthquakes - With Eric Gouldsberry 1:21:49

2M ago1:21:49

1:21:49

We're positively kvelling over the brand new anthology from this week's guest Eric Gouldsberry - "Our Life and Times with the Earthquakes" - which vividly (and lovingly) portrays the thrilling early days of the original San Jose Earthquakes franchise (1974-84) of the old North American Soccer League, and the transformative impact it brought to the …

1
382: The ABA Players' "Waiting Game" - With Michael Husain 1:21:09

3M ago1:21:09

1:21:09

After a decidedly meh NBA All-Star Weekend, we rewind back to one of the league's most influential historical tributaries - the American Basketball Association (1967-76) - and the criminally little-known story of how its demise left a generation of pioneering pro players out in the cold. Michael Husain is the writer, director, and co-producer of th…

1
Meet the MASTERMINDS Behind 2025's Most Epic Space Piracy Book! [Hugh Taylor and Marc Feldman] CSP S03E03 1:00:08

3M ago1:00:08

1:00:08

"Meet the MASTERMINDS Behind 2025's Most Epic Space Piracy Book!" With guests Marc Feldman and Hugh Taylor The Cold Star Project - Season 3, Episode 23 Hosted, Directed, and Produced by Jason Kanigan The Book: Space Piracy: Preparing for a Criminal Crisis in Orbit published by John Wiley & Sons, 2025 https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Space+Pir... Get the…

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381: "Selling Baseball" - With Jeff Orens 1:36:34

3M ago1:36:34

1:36:34

We hearken back to baseball's humble beginnings this week, as author/historian Jeff Orens ("Selling Baseball: How Superstars George Wright and Albert Spalding Impacted Sports in America") takes us on a journey through the late 19th century, when the game was rapidly evolving from a casual pastime to America's national sport - with two larger-than-l…

1
380: The MISL's St. Louis Steamers (+ More!) - With Carl Rose 1:44:59

3M ago1:44:59

1:44:59

Ain't no stoppin' us now this week as we lay down the indoor soccer turf and roll out the red carpet for one of the Major Indoor Soccer League's steeliest defenders and long-time St. Louis Steamers fan favorite Carl Rose. Known best for his seven stellar seasons (1979-86) with the MISL's most commercially successful franchise, Rose actually began h…

1
379: Baseball's "Big Cat" - With Jerry Grillo 1:33:12

3M ago1:33:12

1:33:12

We throw another Duraflame into the hot stove this week for a look back at the sterling, but oddly overlooked career of one of baseball’s greatest "golden age" hitters. Biographer Jerry Grillo ("Big Cat: The Life of Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize") helps us sort out the intriguing story of batting titan Johnny Mize - whose 15-year major league …

1
378.5: "Present At the Creation" - With Upton Bell [ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE] 2:05:25

4M ago2:05:25

2:05:25

[While Tim gets off the mat after a bout with a vaccine-resistant strain of the flu this week, we go back to April 2018 for this classic ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE with the pied piper of classic football history!] Upton Bell grew up at the knee of the National Football League’s second-ever commissioner – his father, the legendary Bert Bell – who not only s…

1
378: US Pro Soccer's "League 1 America" - With Jim Paglia 1:47:23

4M ago1:47:23

1:47:23

Spurred on by a hugely intriguing article in The Athletic penned last November by Episode 274 guest Pablo Maurer (as well as another by Guardian soccer writer Jack Williams back in 2016), we delve into the fascinating story of the visionary, yet controversial 1990s American pro soccer league that never was - League 1 America - with its mastermind J…

1
377: Baseball's Historical Concentricities - With Curt Smith 1:11:57

4M ago1:11:57

1:11:57

Renowned Presidential speechwriter-turned-sports-historian Curt Smith joins the podcast this week for an erudite look at the not-so-obvious concentricity between the story of baseball in America with both the growth of broadcasting and the evolution of electoral politics. Drawing from some of his most seminal works on baseball history - most notabl…

1
376: The 5th Annual(-ish) Year-End Holiday Roundtable Spectacular! 1:47:34

4M ago1:47:34

1:47:34

It's our year-end Holiday Roundtable Spectacular - featuring a look back at the year's newest additions to "what used-to-be" in professional sports (RIP MLB's "Oakland" Athletics & the NHL's Arizona Coyotes), and a predictive glimpse into what might be in store for 2025 - with two of our favorite fellow defunct sports enthusiasts: Steve Holroyd (Cr…

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375: NASL, MISL & MLS Soccer - With National Soccer Hall of Famer Johnny Moore 1:57:24

5M ago1:57:24

1:57:24

It's a holiday gift-wrapped conversation with American soccer pioneer and US National Soccer Hall of Famer Johnny Moore - whose professional career as a player and coach across the original versions of both the North American Soccer League (San Jose Earthquakes, Oakland Stompers), and Major Indoor Soccer League (Detroit Lightning, San Francisco Fog…

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374: The NFL's Providence Steam Roller - With Greg Tranter 1:22:40

5M ago1:22:40

1:22:40

We welcome pro football historian (and Buffalo Bills memorabilia patron) Greg Tranter ("The Providence Steam Roller: New England's First NFL Team") to our microphones this week for a look back at the oft-forgotten Providence Steam Roller - which competed in the early-days National Football League from 1925-31. Based in Providence, RI, the Steam Rol…

1
373: The Once and Future Detroit Lions - With Bill Morris 1:16:32

5M ago1:16:32

1:16:32

We jump aboard this NFL season's biggest bandwagon with a look back at one of the league's most enduring, yet historically mediocre franchises - and the only club operational for the entirety of the post-AFL era to never appear in the Super Bowl. Bill Morris ("The Lions Finally Roar: The Ford Family. The Detroit Lions, And The Road To Redemption In…

1
372: "Banned" - With Michael Ray Richardson & Jake Uitti 1:13:38

5M ago1:13:38

1:13:38

Former NBA All-Star Michael Ray Richardson and his co-author Jacob Uitti (Banned: How I Squandered an All-Star NBA Career Before Finding My Redemption) join the show to discuss Richardson's riveting new memoir that chronicles his extraordinary journey on and off the basketball court. Hailed as “the next Walt Frazier” coming out of the University of…

1
371: The Cleveland Indians' Ray Chapman - With Scott Longert 1:18:28

6M ago1:18:28

1:18:28

Baseball history writer Scott Longert ("Love and Loss: The Short Life of Ray Chapman"), joins the show for an in-depth look at the life and legacy of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman (1891-1920) whose tragic story continues to resonate more than a century later. Chapman rose from humble beginnings to become one of the American League’s top s…

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370: Basketball Jump Shot Innovator Ken Sailors - With Debbie Sorensen 1:07:24

6M ago1:07:24

1:07:24

Author/biographer Debbie Sorensen (Beyond the Jump Shot: The Elevated Life of Kenny Sailors) delves into the story of basketball pioneer Kenny Sailors (1921–2016), one of the most unheralded influencers in both the collegiate and pro game. Widely credited with popularizing the modern-day jump shot, Sailors first stunned audiences in the early 1940s…

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369: The AAGPBL's South Bend Blue Sox - With Jim Sargent 1:20:07

6M ago1:20:07

1:20:07

We gear up for the impending launch of the new six-team Women's Pro Baseball League (set to debut in summer of 2026) with another look back at the original All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-54) with sports history writer Jim Sargent. In "We Were the All-American Girls" (2013), Sargent culled insights from over three dozen interv…

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368: Soccer's "Tinpot" Cups - With Simon Turner 1:21:50

6M ago1:21:50

1:21:50

With apologies to ice hockey's legendary Lord Stanley, no sport is more synonymous with the awarding of championship cups than soccer. Long ingrained in the international culture of the sport, the hardware that overwhelmingly awaits the various victors of league titles (e.g., Italy's Serie A Coppa Campioni d'Italia or North America's MLS Cup); majo…

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367: Myron Cope: Voice of the Steelers - With Dan Joseph 1:13:05

6M ago1:13:05

1:13:05

Voice of America news editor and Pittsburgh native Dan Joseph ("Behind the Yoi: The Life of Myron Cope, Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers Broadcaster") joins the podcast this week for a deep dive into the legacy of one of pro football's most unique broadcast voices. Myron Cope (1929-2008) served as the radio color commentator for the NFL's Pittsburgh S…

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366: "Mornings With Madden" - With Stan Bunger 1:33:24

7M ago1:33:24

1:33:24

John Madden (1936-2021) was more than a football icon - he embodied the sport itself. As the unmistakable voice of the NFL for nearly 30 years, he brought America’s game into TV living rooms across the country. His name became synonymous with football, not just through his legendary broadcast career, but also as the face of his eponymous "Madden" v…

1
365: NBC Sports Broadcaster Tom Hammond 1:18:33

7M ago1:18:33

1:18:33

Legendary sports broadcaster Tom Hammond ("Races, Games, and Olympic Dreams: A Sportscaster's Life") joins host Tim Hanlon for a myriad of career memories from his nearly 35-year journey calling top-tier league packages and prime events for NBC Sports. Plucked from regional sportscasting obscurity in 1984 for a one-time stall reporting gig as part …

1
364: The Original "Louisville Slugger" - With Tim Newby 1:12:33

7M ago1:12:33

1:12:33

Baltimore-based music historian and unwitting baseball biographer Tim Newby ("The Original Louisville Slugger: The Life and Times of Forgotten Baseball Legend Pete Browning") joins the show to delve deep into the story of one of the most formidable baseball players of the 19th century, whose mastery with a bat is still paying dividends today. Over …

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363: Sports Promotion Pioneer Abe Saperstein - With Mark & Matt Jacob 1:25:51

7M ago1:25:51

1:25:51

Despite their name, the Harlem Globetrotters weren’t originally from New York's Harlem neighborhood, nor did they start out as true world travellers. This all-Black basketball team, founded by Jewish immigrant Abe Saperstein, originated on Chicago’s South Side and began touring the Midwest rather humbly in Saperstein’s unheated Ford Model T. With h…

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362: "Kiner's Korner" - With Mark Rosenman 1:04:59

8M ago1:04:59

1:04:59

With the Mets th-i-i-i-i-s close to a rare MLB playoff berth this season, we do our best not to jinx their chances with a look back at the local New York post-game TV show synonymous with the club's first 32 years in Gotham with sports reporter/author Mark Rosenman ("Down on the Korner: Ralph Kiner and Kiner's Korner"). "Kiner's Korner" was a belov…

1
361: ABA Memories & Life Lessons - With George Tinsley 1:44:02

8M ago1:44:02

1:44:02

From the tough streets of Louisville's Smoketown to corporate success, former college hoops standout and American Basketball Association pro George Tinsley's life is a testament to resilience and opportunity. In his inspiring new memoir "Catch as Catch Can: Building a Legacy by Finding Opportunity in Every Obstacle," Tinsley shares his journey from…

1
360: The NFL's 1952 Dallas Texans - With Mike Cobern 1:39:10

8M ago1:39:10

1:39:10

Metroplex restauranteur and armchair football historian Mike Cobern (Wards of the League: The Untold Story of the First NFL Team in Dallas) joins for a deep dive into the mostly forgotten saga of the 1952 Dallas Texans, the one-year wonder that has nearly vanished from the annals of National Football League history. Before the Cowboys became "Ameri…

1
359: The Making of the Super Bowl - With Dennis Deninger 1:18:54

8M ago1:18:54

1:18:54

Syracuse University communications professor and former Emmy award-winning ESPN producer Dennis Deninger ("The Football Game That Changed America: How the NFL Created a National Holiday") joins the show to take us through the origin story and unlikely sociological trajectory of the Super Bowl - pro football's annual championship extravaganza that m…

1
358: The Cleveland Indians' "Ten Cent Beer Night" - With Scott Jarrett 1:21:25

9M ago1:21:25

1:21:25

The date: June 14, 1974 The place: Cleveland's venerable Municipal Stadium The event: an evening regular-season game between MLB's Cleveland Indians & Texas Rangers The added attraction: "Ten Cent Beer Night" The result: one of baseball history's (and American sports') most notorious promotional fiascos Cleveland native Scott Jarrett ("Ten Cent Bee…

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357: "The Stadium" - With Frank Guridy 1:15:22

9M ago1:15:22

1:15:22

We raise our sports history IQ a few points this week with an enlightening conversation around the broader cultural importance and underlying social significance of the very venues in which our favorite games are played - with Columbia University professor Frank Guridy ("The Stadium: An American History of Politics, Protest, and Play"). The book's …

1
356: "Sex, Drugs, Pucks, and Souls" - With Bobby Robins 1:51:20

9M ago1:51:20

1:51:20

Buckle up for a wild ride through some of the most forgotten franchises in recent minor league hockey history - with a colorful lifer who literally fought his way to becoming the NHL's oldest (32) opening-day rookie (with the Boston Bruins), only to see it all fall apart to a concussion after just three games. This is the raw and savage story of Bo…

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355: Baseball's "Uncommon" Danny O'Connell - With Steve Wiegand 1:16:31

9M ago1:16:31

1:16:31

We head back to the diamond this week for a look into the "extraordinarily ordinary" baseball life of 1950s-era infielder Danny O'Connell with biographer Steve Wiegand ("The Uncommon Life of Danny O'Connell: A Tale of Baseball Cards, "Average Players," and the True Value of America's Game"). Wiegand's story is a rich exploration of a player often o…

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354: Sports Phone - With Scott Orgera and Howie Karpin 1:25:29

9M ago1:25:29

1:25:29

New York sports broadcast veterans Scott Orgera and Howie Karpin ("976-1313: How Sports Phone Launched Careers and Broke New Ground") join to help us wax nostalgic about the ground-breaking 1970s telephone service Sports Phone. From the dust jacket of "976-1313": "Sports Phone set out to change the way scores and breaking news were consumed, and in…

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353.7: The NHL’s Atlanta Flames (& More!) – With Dan Bouchard [ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE] 1:50:21

10M ago1:50:21

1:50:21

[One last dip into the vault before a flood of new episodes beginning next week; from 2020, our revealing conversation with a pro hockey great - and Atlanta Flames original!} For 1970s-era NHL hockey fans who remember the eight-year adventure known as the Atlanta Flames, few are likely to forget Dan Bouchard. A tenacious, slightly eccentric and occ…

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353.6: NASL Soccer's Chief Architect Clive Toye [ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE] 1:45:05

10M ago1:45:05

1:45:05

[By popular request, an archive re-release from August 2018, featuring our extraordinary conversation with one of the central figures of the original North American Soccer League - from its chaotic formation in 1968 to its untimely demise in 1985.] + + + Soccer America columnist (and Episode #6 guest) Paul Gardner summed up this week's National Soc…

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353.5: The Senior Professional Baseball Association - With David Whitford [ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE] 1:09:46

10M ago1:09:46

1:09:46

[An archive re-release favorite from September 2017, featuring one of professional baseball's most enigmatic leagues!] Inc. Editor-at-Large David Whitford (Extra Innings: A Season in the Senior League) joins host Tim Hanlon to retrace his journalistic odyssey covering the inaugural season of the short-lived, Florida-based Senior Professional Baseba…

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353: The NASL v. US Soccer/MLS Case - With Steven Bank 1:33:06

10M ago1:33:06

1:33:06

Most US and Canadian domestic soccer fans are certain that the second incarnation of the North American Soccer League (2011-17) officially met its untimely demise in early 2018, just a few months after the first-year San Francisco Deltas beat the New York Cosmos in the 2017 Soccer Bowl - and amidst a seemingly desperate/last-minute antitrust lawsui…

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352: An Appreciation of Vin Scully - With Tom Hoffarth 1:18:32

11M ago1:18:32

1:18:32

We celebrate the legendary career and outsized influence of one of baseball's most recognized voices, with veteran LA sportswriter Tom Hoffarth (Perfect Eloquence: An Appreciation of Vin Scully). From the "Early Days" dustjacket: "When Vin Scully passed away in 2022, the city of Los Angeles lost its soundtrack. If you were able to deliver a eulogy …

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351: The Origin Story of ESPN - With Peter Fox 1:16:44

11M ago1:16:44

1:16:44

It's time to fire up the old Jerrold cable box for a trip back to the pre-launch and early first on-air days of cable TV's pioneering Entertainment and Sports Programming Network - better known as ESPN - with founding producer and channel memoirist Peter Fox ("The Early Days of ESPN: 300 Daydreams and Nightmares"). From the "Early Days" dustjacket:…

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Tim Hanlon Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen