Welcome to the inaugural episode of Who’s On First: The Podcast
Hi,
I’m Robert Baumander.
Who, you ask?
No, Who’s on First.
I spent over 40 years with The Toronto Blue Jays. In 1980 I was on the ground crew studying film and television production in college. I wasn’t cut out for manual labor, so I put my education to good use and in 1981 I was asked to run the camera to record the players when they were hitting or pitching during the games. From then on I was known as Captain Video. It was the early days of huge portable video machines and I captured the players on individual VHS with a large, by today’s standards, black and white video camera. No HD, no color, no super slow motion. Just a pause button, that if you hit it rapidly enough, as if sending Morse Code, you could simulate a form of frame by frame analysis. Oh, and we only had one angle.
Over the next 40 years I helped revolutionize how video was captured in baseball and viewed, being the first to use SVHS, DVD recorders, 1000 frame per second slow motion, multiple camera angles and digital capture using a Mac Pro and iMac viewing stations, before commercial video systems ever hit the market.
Over the years with the Blue Jays, I learned a lot about baseball and was in on some cool behind the scenes drama and wackiness that goes along with a long Major League Baseball season. But one thing that I never got in on were the conversations that took place at first base.
Since retiring from my position as video coordinator in March of 2021, I had moved on, but still loved baseball. So, I have returned, this time asking the questions I’ve always wanted to get the answers to. One of the great mysteries of baseball. What the heck do they talk about at First Base? Sorry, What’s on Second Base. I don’t know. THRID BASE!
So, who’s on first today? Well, it’s my old friend Lyle Overbay, former first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays. Lyle was born in 1977, the inaugural year of the Toronto Blue Jays, and was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1999. He made his Major League debut in 2001 and joined the Blue Jays in 2006, playing in 723 games with the Jays, before finishing out his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a return to Arizona, Atlanta, the Yankees and in 2014 121 games with Milwaukee.
These days he’s enjoying life on the west coast and coaching High School baseball. And for you stats nerds out there, he had a career .266 batting average, slugged 151 home runs, and most importantly these days, had a WAR,(Wins Above Replacement, of 16.5.
On that note, let’s dial up the old telephone and see if we can get a juicy story or two about his career at First base. I hope you enjoy my first episode and request that you please like, subscribe and leave a kind comment or two, so I know you’re out there enjoying my show.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.