From July 2020. Al Roker steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 43! A lifelong fan of both baseball and theatre, the host and weatherman at NBC's Today and co-anchor of 3rd Hour Today is opening up about his life off screen in a new memoir titled "You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success." Throughout the book, Roker looks back on his own career and shares valuable "Altruisms" that can be applied to our own endeavors in weathering the storms of life, no matter...

From October 2021. Dylan Dreyer steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 104! Part of the fabric of our mornings for nearly a decade as a co-host of The Today Show on NBC, Dreyer is about to release her very first children's book, Misty the Cloud: A Very Stormy Day. The first in a series, the book provides Dreyer the opportunity to combine her meteorology background with her experience as a mom in a way that's both accessible and enjoyable for children. Co-written by Alan Katz and illustrated...

From June 2021. We have the honor of welcoming our very first Tony Award-winner to The Batter's Box, as the great Norbert Leo Butz joins us for Episode 90! Butz's many Broadway accolades are highlighted by four Tony Award nominations, winning twice for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical thanks to his performances as Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in 2005, and again in 2011 when he portrayed Agent Carl Hanratty in Catch Me If You Can. He's also starred in Rent, The Last...

From March 2021. LOOKOUT! Christy Altomare steps into The Batter’s Box for Episode 76! One of Broadway's most beloved players, Altomare’s talent as a leading lady is up there with anyone's in the game. She got her start in show business when she starred as Wendla in the first national tour of Spring Awakening in 2008, before taking on the role of Sue Snell in the off-Broadway revival of Carrie in 2012. Later that year, she’d go on to make her Broadway debut in Mamma Mia! when she starred as...

From April 2020. Derek Klena steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 31! Klena is currently starring as Nick Healy in Broadway's Jagged Little Pill, and has authored a phenomenal career on stage. In addition to this, he may be one of our podcast's most theme-appropriate guests. As a high school pitcher in his native Southern California, Klena was a two-time first-team All-San Antonio League selection and two-time first-team All-Valley honoree, before enrolling in UCLA. While there, he was...

From June 2021. Sweeny Murti is taking us backstage and into the clubhouse! For 21 seasons and counting, Murti has played the role of the New York Yankees beat reporter on the team's flagship radio station, WFAN, and also serves as a contributor to both MLB Network and SNY. This week, he takes host Al Malafronte through some of the fascinating aspects of his job, the challenges that come with covering the team over a 162-game season both at home and on the road, as well as some of the unique...

From November 2020. Kara Lindsay steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 58! Lindsay has cemented herself as a favorite among Broadway fans through her memorable performances in roles such as Katherine Plumber in Newsies, Glinda in Wicked, and Cynthia Weil in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. This week, Lindsay and host Al Malafronte share some laughs and stories as they chat about everything from Italian holiday traditions, earworm lyrics in Newsies, her time spent with Carole King, and...

From April 2021. "Baseball is in a weird place right now." Doug Mientkiewicz steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 78 in a conversation filled with epic baseball chatter, brutal honesty, and fantastic wisdom. Mientkiewicz's 12-year playing career spanned 1998-2009 for seven different teams and was highlighted by an Olympic Gold Medal for Team USA, a Gold Glove Award, a .360 lifetime On-Base Percentage, and a World Series Championship. While playing he also garnered a reputation as one of...

From February 2021. Every so often, we’re fortunate enough to welcome personal favorites from show business to The Batter’s Box. That’s very much the case this week, as Megan Hilty joins the show for one of our most enjoyable conversations to date! A veteran of the stage and screen, Hilty’s career began in 2004 when she took the stage as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway. She’s since gone on to put together a tremendous body of work with other highlights that include starring as Ivy Lynn in NBC’s...

From October 2021. Gene and Bill Barretta, known to many quite simply as “The Barretta Brothers,” are stepping into The Batter’s Box for Episode 105! Two master creatives, Gene is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books. He has also animated and illustrated for Sesame Street, Between The Lions, and The Jim Henson Company. Bill has been a director, writer, producer, and core performer with The Muppets for nearly 30 years. Together, they’ve created their own podcast/vodcast...

From August 2021. LOOKOUT! It’s one of those special days in The Batter’s Box as Sierra Boggess joins us for Episode 95! For nearly a decade and a half, Boggess has cemented a standing as one of the best players in the game here on Broadway through her brilliant ability to bring iconic characters to life on stage, powerful singing voice, and inspiring disposition that embodies the good stuff in show business. Whether it was originating the role of Ariel in the Broadway production of The...

From February 2021. It’s a SWISHALICIOUS day on Broadway, as the one and only Nick Swisher joins us for Episode 71! During a memorable Broadway tenure that spanned 2009-2012, few performers in New York Yankees history are more beloved than Swisher. While dawning the pinstripes, he not only cemented a legacy as a World Champion (2009) and All-Star right fielder (2010) but as a colorful personality and passionate player that would run through a wall for Yankee fans. These days, he's still...

From October 2020. Joel McHale brings some big laughs to The Batter’s Box in Episode 55! Having made a name for himself in show business as the host of The Soup, and star of Community, McHale has kept as busy as anyone in the industry throughout 2020. Whether it be hosting the critically acclaimed Tiger King after-show special, launching his own podcast The Darkest Timeline, or guest judging on The Masked Singer, McHale’s work ethic and passion for what he does is undeniable. He also serves...

From March 2021. It's one of those special days in The Batter's Box, as Jodi Benson joins us for Episode 75! Inducted as a Disney Legend after serving The Walt Disney Company for the past 33 amazing years, Benson has received worldwide recognition and critical acclaim for her tremendous talent and iconic performances. She's best known as the beloved singing and speaking voice of Ariel in the Academy Award-winning Walt Disney animated feature film, The Little Mermaid. To this day, she remains...

From February 2020. Katlyn Carlson steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 22! Carlson enjoyed one of the most exciting rookie years on Broadway in 2019 as one of the stars of Be More Chill. While far from a rookie in the acting world with other credits including Holly Star, The End Is Here, Billions, and The Jim Gaffigan Show, it was refreshing to hear her perspective on performance and how to navigate the success and adversity that comes with it. Something many baseball players have to...

From June 2021. LOOKOUT! A much-anticipated day has finally arrived, as Patti Murin joins us for Episode 87! Murin made her Broadway debut in one of our favorite shows of all time in Xanadu, and then went on to star in Lysistrata Jones, as well as the touring production of Wicked. She's also done a great deal of work on-screen including a recurring role on Chicago Med, and had starring roles in the Hallmark classics Holiday for Heroes and Love on Iceland. Of course, she's best known to the...

From March 2021. Show me that smile again...As we wrap Women's History Month, it's our pleasure to welcome the great Joanna Kerns to The Batter's Box for Episode 77! Kerns' career in show business now spans 45 years both as an actress and director. She got her first big break when she starred as Maggie Seaver in the hit sitcom Growing Pains and has since gone on to serve as a pioneer for female directors with nearly 70 television directing credits to her name and counting. In 2020, she was...

We've got our first former Yankee visiting The Batter's Box in 2022, as Nick Green joins us for Episode 122! Currently a TV analyst for Bally Sports South, Green joins us this week to talk baseball, music, pop culture, and his love of The Greatest Showman! He's also got some amazing never-been-told stories and Broadway parallels from his time on the grand stage while performing in the 2006 production of New York Yankees Baseball. Connect with Nick Green on Instagram: @nickgreen20 Connect with...

Ben Giroux steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 121! Giroux plays the title role in Big Nate which just premiered on Paramount+. The show, based on the books of the same name, follows 11 year-old Nate Wright, a rebellious sixth-grader with a never-ending need to prove his awesomeness to the world. Whether he’s dealing with disasters at home or detention at school, Nate is no stranger to a challenge. Luckily, he’s able to express himself through the cartoons he creates. This week he joins...

Jerry Blevins is talking baseball and Broadway in The Batter's Box in Episode 120! One of the best lefty relievers of the 2010s, Blevins made his mark on Broadway not only on the pitcher's mound for the New York Mets but as an avid fan of theatre who embraced the performing arts mecca that is New York City. This week he joins host Al Malafronte to talk all about his show-stopping moments on the bump, his current role with SNY, and some of his favorite nights on The Great White Way! He even...

Adam Kennedy steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 119! This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Anaheim Angels' 2002 World Series championship and the team's 2nd baseman joins us for a chat that looks back on that iconic run and so much more! Whether it's the battles on Broadway against the Yankees in the ALDS, his 3-Home Run game in the ALCS, or the electrifying World Series against Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants, the championship squad's team leader in Batting Average has...

Jack Wilson brings his Broadway fandom to The Batter's Box! You read that right! Fully equipped with his binder full of Playbills, the former All-Star shortstop joins host Al Malafronte to talk all about his longtime affinity for theatre in a true Baseball meets Broadway celebration. Ironically, this fandom began during his playing days during road trips to Yankee Stadium in the mid-2000s and has only continued to blossom. Wilson has Broadway dream roles, favorite actors and actresses, and...

GG Townson steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 117! Known for her portrayal of iconic hip-hop artist “Salt '' in the hit biopic Salt-N-Pepa, Townson can now be seen in BET+’s Sacrifice, based on the network’s original movie of the same name. The story follows a high-powered entertainment attorney, Daniella Hernandez (Paula Patton), as she navigates the complicated lives of her clients, while uncovering the truth behind her family’s secretive past and the death of her parents....

In our first at-bat of the 2022 season, Ginger Zee steps into The Batter's Box! As the Chief Meteorologist for ABC News, Zee has forecasted and reported the nation's weather on Good Morning America and World News Tonight for nearly a decade. In doing so, she has endeared herself to audiences worldwide as a light that goes far beyond what we see on-screen, and one that we need now more than ever - especially when it comes to the subject matters she's tackling in her all-new book A Little...

It's our 2021 finale with former MLB All-Star, Scooter Gennett! Join us for an incredibly honest chat that highlights anything from Gennett's love of sports and the arts to his iconic "baseball theatre" moment - when he tied the Major League record for home runs in a single performance (4) in 2017. Gennett also addresses the recent national headlines he made via his choice words about Carlos Correa's free agency and the Houston Astros cheating scandal. Connect with Scooter Gennett on...