Without question, the 2020 MLB season was the strangest in baseball history: a pandemic, a shortened schedule, new rules, a team without a home and, in the end, an historic World Series win. On the season finale of A Swing and a Belt, Dan takes listeners through a campaign like none other. This season of the podcast was produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan. Amil Delic helped with episodic production and general awesomeness. Thanks to all our guests as well as everyone...

With the Los Angeles Dodgers leading the Tampa Bay Rays three games to two heading into Game 6 of the World Series, the finish line is now in sight. MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian has been on the play-by-play call and brings us up to speed on the series so far. This episode is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Braden Connolly assisted with archival audio. Audio Credits: YouTube.com/MLB; Sportsnet The views and opinions expressed in...

The World Series is off to a great start, with the favoured Dodgers tied up at one with the Rays. Six-time All-Star Nomar Garciaparra, who covers the Dodgers for SportsNet LA, offers his thoughts on the series, Clayton Kershaw’s legacy and Bo Bichette being compared to him. This episode is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio Credits: YouTube.com/MLB; ESPN Radio The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the...

The World Series is upon us, with the top seeds representing the American and National Leagues. Just like we all expected the season to play out when pitchers and catchers first reported in February… right? There’s no doubt the mighty Dodgers, with their unmatched resources and talent, are the favourites but can the Rays pull off an upset? New York Times national baseball writer Tyler Kepner previews the Fall Classic. This episode is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and...

Pete Walker is the pitching coach for the Toronto Blue Jays. And in this strange and unprecedented 2020 season, he worked with 28 pitchers across a 60-game campaign that resulted in a postseason berth. A handful with little or no previous Major League experience definitely left an impression. Walker takes listeners through the roles those youngsters will play in 2021 and beyond. This episode is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio...

There’s a new rivalry out west. The Dodgers are getting a push from the young, fun San Diego Padres. Led by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, the Padres are hoping to knock off the favoured Dodgers in their NL Division Series. Jon Sciambi, who will call the games for ESPN Radio, previews the series and more. This episode is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio Credits: CBS 8 San Diego, ESPN, KWFN and Sportsnet The views and...

One round down, three. We are on to the Division Series and, in the American League, they are both truly divisional series. The teams know each other well, and don’t like each other one bit. To preview the New York-Tampa and Houston-Oakland, Yankees voice Michael Kay and Athletics radio play-by-play man Vince Cotroneo join Dan. This episode is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio Credits: YouTube.com/YESNetwork;...

The Rays? Really, the Rays!? Yes, chances are the Blue Jays will play Tampa in the Wild Card Round beginning Tuesday. Andy Freed, one of the Rays’ radio voices, drops by to chat about that team’s injuries, pitching plans and how they feel about their opponent. This episode is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio Credits: MLB.com; YouTube.com/MLB; YouTube.com/Rays The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the...

As GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kyle Dubas is known for having grown up in hockey. But his love of baseball runs deep, from time spent with his grandfather as a kid to watching the Blue Jays nightly to the enthusiasm his three-year-old has already shown for the game. Dubas joins Dan to discuss his other favourite sport. This episode is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Thanks to Maria St. Aubin for archival help. Audio Credits: Sportsnet...

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is trying to find his way at first base, a position he had never played prior to this season. Former big leaguers Justin Morneau, Pat Tabler and Eduardo Perez offer their opinions on how challenging first can be, and whether or not Guerrero can grow into the position.  This episode is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Archival support provided by Maria St. Aubin. Audio Credits: Fox Sports North, SportsNet Spectrum LA and...

Joe Panik is not old, but on the Blue Jays, he must certainly feel like he is. He won the World Series with the San Francisco Giants as a rookie in 2014 and has been a regular in the big leagues for seven years. At the age of 29, Panik is a grizzled veteran amongst the youngest group of position players in baseball. And it’s now his job to help the young Toronto core through its first pennant race. This episode is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan...

The underdog Los Angeles Dodgers fought their way to the 1988 World Series championship, beating the heavily favoured Oakland Athletics… and they haven’t won a title since. They’ve been close, even making it back to the World Series two of the past three years, but they’ve come up short. Is it World Series or bust for the Dodgers in 2020? The iconic franchise’s television voice Joe Davis weighs in. This episode is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan...

It’s the stretch run… barely a week to go in the regular season. And there is much to be decided between now and when the playoffs begin. Former GM and current MLB Network Radio host Jim Bowden on which teams are peaking at the right time.   This episode is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio Credits: Fox Sports Cincinnati, Fox Sports Kansas City, KLAC 570, NBC Sports Chicago, SportsNet Spectrum LA, WGN 720 and YES Network.   The...

Part of being a Major League Baseball reporter is building relationships with the teams and players you cover. It can take years. Now, you can’t go into the clubhouse, can’t get one-on-one interviews and can’t easily generate stories. So how does it work? Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae and Fox Sports Wisconsin’s Sophia Minnaert take us through remote reporting in 2020. This podcast is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio Credits: MLB.tv;...

It has been an interesting season for the San Francisco Giants. Like every team, the coronavirus has impacted them. But somehow even more pressing right now are the wildfires burning out of control up and down the West Coast. They’ve laid waste to millions of acres, claimed dozens of lives, forced people back indoors and caused games to be postponed this week. Baseball and life are intersecting on a daily basis for the Giants, who through it all are making an unlikely run at a playoff spot....

They are expected to win… virtually every year. They are, after all, the New York Yankees. Big names, big payroll, big expectations. After a great start to the 2020 season, they stumbled, dealing with injuries and losing 15 of 20 games. Now, winners of five in a row, they appear to have turned it around. Are the Bronx Bombers peaking at the right time? Beat reporter Sweeny Murti discusses the state of the Yankees. This podcast is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and...

He knew them back in the day, even if “back in the day” was only a few years ago. Toronto Blue Jays coach John Schneider managed Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio in A and AA ball, winning championships as they all made their way to the Major Leagues. Schneider, a former Blue Jays draft pick himself, shares stories of the Blue Jays’ young stars. This podcast is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio Credits:...

For Major League umpires, COVID-19 has changed everything. How often do you need to get tested? How do you get from city to city? How different are things between the white lines? MLB umpire John Tumpane takes us through his day-to-day routine after six years in the Majors. This podcast is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio Credits: FOXSports; YouTube.com/MLB The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the...

In 2020, any excuse to have fun is welcome. And no team is having more fun right now than the San Diego Padres. Second in the National League, they have one of baseball’s best players in Fernando Tatis Jr. and dominated the trade deadline. Just as fun as their baseball team is their broadcast team. Padres TV play-by-play voice Don Orsillo lets listeners in on the good times. This podcast is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio Credits:...

Roberto Clemente was more than just a Hall of Famer. He remains a hero to baseball fans in Puerto Rico, Pittsburgh and elsewhere. Dan is joined by Carlos Delgado, Charlie Montoyo, ESPN’s Marly Rivera and Pirates manager Derek Shelton to celebrate the memory of one of baseball’s most influential figures.  This podcast is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Dan Shulman. Audio Credits: CBS, Fox Sports, MLB, NBC Radio, SNY, Sportsnet, WGN and WPXI. The...

Despite two significant coronavirus outbreaks and a lot of concern, we are now in baseball’s stretch run. MLB has reportedly planned for postseason bubbles — of sorts. Two ballparks in Texas for the National League and two in California for the American League, with the World Series scheduled for Globe Life Field in Arlington. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases, calls it “a cruise ship scenario,” which doesn’t have the best connotation right now but isn’t necessarily a...

Dante Bichette enjoyed an outstanding 14-year big league career. Part of the feared ‘Blake Street Bombers’ in Colorado, Bichette was a four-time All-Star who finished with a .299 batting average and 274 home runs. During the 2013 season, he served as the Rockies’ hitting coach before deciding to spend more time at home, in part to spend more time with his two baseball-playing sons, Dante Jr. and Bo. Now he’s back in uniform as a coach with the Blue Jays, and with a different approach to...

North Carolina Tar Heels coach Roy Williams is a legend in the college basketball world; a Hall of Famer who has achieved everything there is to be achieved in the sport. But Williams has never lost his inner child — the one who idolized Mickey Mantle and knew everything there was to know about the New York Yankees. With a lifetime of baseball memories and a chance meeting with Mantle as a young man, Williams has plenty of stories to tell of the diamond. This podcast is produced and...

As hard as it is to believe, it’s September. Baseball is still here, and we have pennant races. Today, in Part 2 of our chat with MLB Network Radio’s Casey Stern, we look back at the trade deadline and discuss which teams put themselves in a good spot for the stretch drive. This podcast is produced and sound designed by Christian Ryan, and hosted by Dan Shulman. MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM Executive Producer Jacob Stevens-Kittner provided archival assistance. Audio Credits:...