Tag Archives: baseball

Matt Fowles, Rapsodo Director of Marketing

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Rapsodo, the company known for leading the revolution to affordable, pro-grade sports technology to help athletes play like never before, recently announced the addition of R-Speed for all Premium Members on the mobile app for the Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor (MLM) and Mobile Launch Monitor 2 PRO (MLM2PRO™).

Have a listen to Rick and Matt.

R-Speed is a swing speed platform that measures the speed of the golf club when swung as well as speed training clubs, without the need for impact on a golf ball. Users can measure their swing in three different units: mph, mps or kph. The feature is compatible with both golf clubs and swing speed training programs. “It’s fantastic that Rapsodo has added the ability to measure clubhead speed without ball contact. I completed my last Stack session using the MLM2PRO. The speeds were accurate and it was handy to be able to watch a down the line view of my Stack swing after each rep.” said golf biomechanist, Dr. Sasho MacKenzie, Co-Founder of The Stack.

Designed to help golfers increase the speed of their golf swing, R-Speed allows users to practice and track their swing without needing to hit a golf ball. Perfect for practice sessions, R-Speed will help users increase their swing speed which will ultimately train them to hit the ball farther.

Players can record, monitor and track their R-Speed progress through Rapsodo’s new feature R-Cloud. R-Cloud, which launched in December of 2023, is a web-based platform that allows users to access their entire performance history for MLM and MLM2PRO™ sessions. With access to their performance history, players can monitor and analyze their progress to improve their game performance.

“The addition of R-Speed to Rapsodo’s platform of innovative features will provide another opportunity for athletes at every level to improve their game and track their performance,” Rapsodo Director of Golf Shawn Curtis said.

R-Speed is only available to users with a Premium Membership. The MLM Premium Membership is $99 for one year and includes a number of extra features, and the MLM2PRO™ Premium Membership is $199 for one year, but the first year is included with purchase. The MLM, MLM2PRO™ and the Premium Memberships can all be purchased on www.rapsodo.com.

Rapsodo is on a mission to give athletes everywhere the tools they need to play like never before. Favored by MLB teams, D1 College Champions, and top-ranked PGA coaches, our motto of “Play Without Limits™,” is realized by leveling the playing field with affordable, professional grade technology. Innovation and category leadership in golf, baseball, and softball have been celebrated in MyGolfSpy’s Best Of Golf Awards and led to the Official Partner of USA Baseball. Getting more out of your game is always within reach with Rapsodo. Experience more at https://www.rapsodo.com/.

Dick Perez, Sports Artist and Donruss Diamond Kings

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Rick has a few minutes with the legendary sports artist, Dick Perez.

Perez’s entry into baseball started in 1972 as a team artist for the Philadelphia Phillies. His paintings of all the Hall of Famers with ties to Philadelphia reside in a permanent collection at Citizens Bank Park.

While working with the Phillies, he also became the official artist for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Perez has painted every Hall of Famer’s official portrait.

In 1980, the popular Perez-Steele Hall of Fame postcards were released and updated every year with every new induction until 2002. By the end of the project’s run, there were 270 postcards. The larger postcards have become favorites among autograph collectors.

There were also the popular Diamond King baseball cards put out by Donruss.

“I loved doing them because I had the freedom,” stated Perez who was appearing at the Robert Edwards Auctions booth at The National. “(Donruss) got the license to do cards and they wanted to separate themselves from the pack.”

Robert W. Cohen, ‘The 50 Greatest Players in Braves History’

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The 50 Greatest Players in Braves History examines the careers of the 50 men who made the greatest impact on one of Major League Baseball’s oldest and most iconic franchises. Using as measuring sticks the degree to which they impacted the fortunes of the team, the extent to which they added to the Braves legacy—in Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta—and the levels of statistical compilation and overall dominance they attained while wearing a Braves uniform, The 50 Greatest Players in Braves History ranks, from 1 to 50, the top 50 players in team history.

Rick talks with the author, Robert Cohen about this great book.

Cohen was born in the Bronx, New York in 1956. He grew up just a few miles from Yankee Stadium, rooting for the Yankees and New York Football Giants. After spending many years working in a large corporate environment, he began writing professionally in 2004. His first published work, “A Team For The Ages: Baseball’s All-Time All-Star Team” clearly reflects his great love of the game of baseball, and also his vast knowledge of the sport.

Zack Hample, Youtuber, Baseball Fan, Home Run Ball Catcher

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Rick is joined by internet and baseball sensation, Zack Hample this week.

Hample has attended games at 61 different MLB stadiums and snagged more than 11,000 balls in the stands including Mike Trout’s 1st career home run and Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000th hit.

Hample gives his tips for catching baseballs at games and his favorite ballparks.

Zack is also the subject of a new feature-length documentary which was released on March 29, 2022. It’s very interesting.

Have a listen:

Kevin Gallagher, Author ‘Teach Your Kids to Hit’

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Kevin Gallagher joins Rick this week to talk his new book and “saving baseball.”

SAVE THE GAME ™ is a grass roots initiative to invigorate Major League Baseball and increase youth participation in the game; the initiative was launched by the nine-year veteran former MLB player Jeff Frye (Rangers, Red Sox, Rockies, Blue Jays), and two New York college standouts – Kevin Gallagher (Pace University) and Pat Geoghegan (Mercy College). Gallagher’s book, “Teach Your Kid to Hit … So they Don’t Quit,” was the genesis of the “Save the Game” ™ movement. The hope is that the initiative will ensure the revitalization of the game toward a healthy business future.

Visit www.savethegameus.com for more information and to sign the petition.
The initiative starts a one million signature petition-for-change effort to gain momentum toward a National movement, while grabbing the attention of MLB executives on a league and team level.  Visit www.savethegameus.com for more information and to sign the petition.

Simply stated, Gallagher, Frye and Geoghegan contend that MLB has lost its entertainment value because of its reliance on the power swing and little action between home runs. America’s youth is not engaged with MLB because the game has become too slow for this generation. Without the next generation’s involvement, MLB’s customer base will be diminished and baseball could lose its relevance and becomes a niche sport.

SAVE THE GAME ™ group wants to align with MLB on issues it has raised and problems already recognized in a grassroots effort.
Some of the focuses of SAVE THE GAME ™ include:
·       Give a Voice to the American baseball fan.
·       increasing youth participation in baseball with instruction from the book, and aligning with MLB to partner on the message.
·       reaching out to the RBI Foundations of each team (Revive Baseball in Inner Cities) to provide support and tools to help kids play the game
·       developing an app for parents which will provide a process to teaching kids, so they enjoy the game
·       Creating new fans.

It is the belief of the trio, and many experts are in agreement, that baseball has lost its luster because of its lack of action and strategy. Once America’s pastime, today it lags in television ratings (down 50 percent since 2003), sponsorship dollars and younger fan interest (only 7 percent under 18 watch baseball).

The hope is to revive baseball by bringing it back to its quicker pace of bygone years. The strategy, beginning with a player’s swing in youth baseball, includes: contact hitting and keeping the ball in play instead of swinging for the fences to increase action, thus making the game more entertaining; and by engaging younger fans and instructing younger players on the art of the game from Little League to High School to College.

Gallagher gives this example of the current “All or Nothing” approach: “There are only 2.46 home runs hit per game. In a three-hour game, you’re only getting a home run every hour. In between home runs is what is killing baseball. There is no action. We have to restore the game to the way it was historically played.”

Enjoyed this talk with Kevin.

Shawn Murnin, Play by Play Broadcaster Bowling Green Hot Rods, Minor League Baseball

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One of the casualties of COVID-19 was the 2020 minor league baseball season.

But minor league baseball is back in 2021 and Rick talk with the head of media relations and the play-by-play broadcaster for the Class A, Bowling Green Hot Rods, Shawn Murnin. How is life in the minor leagues? Favorite minor league promotions? All that and more!

Murnin is in his third season as the Hot Rods Play-By-Play Broadcaster and Media Relations Manager. The Vandling, Pennsylvania native graduated from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania with a Communications degree in 2011 and began his career in baseball with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees the same year. In 2015, he joined the Northwoods League’s Mankato Moondogs and soon thereafter, made the transition back to Minor League Baseball, making stops with the Peoria Chiefs and the Hagerstown Suns. Shawn calls all Hot Rods’ games on WBGN 94.5 FM/1340 AM, as well as authoring the Hot Rods’ TuneUp Blog. In his free time, you can find him on the golf course, collecting baseball cards, and spending time with his wife and son. His favorite sports team is the Tennessee Titans.

Fun to talk with baseball and sports and life with Shawn.