Little Leaguer Katie Brownell Once Struck Out Every Batter In An Entire Game (Cool Weird Awesome 536)

Today in 2005, an 11 year old pitcher in upstate New York, Katie Brownell, brought her A-game to the Little League field. She not only pitched a perfect game, she struck out all 18 batters she faced! Plus: Houston's famous Art Car Parade is back this weekend. 

By |2021-09-28T06:56:58-04:00May 14, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The Very First Computer Bug Was An Actual Bug (Cool Weird Awesome 377)

On this day in 1947, a team working on a computer at Harvard University discovered the first computer bug: a moth that had gotten trapped in the electronics. Plus: today in 2005, a guy writes to Major League Baseball to get that expressed written consent they always talk about to rebroadcast or retransmit a game.

By |2020-09-09T07:33:13-04:00September 9, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

A Minor League Team Once Held A Game Without Fans As A Publicity Stunt (Cool Weird Awesome 345)

Most sports teams do promotions to get more fans into the games, but in 2002 the Charleston, S.C. RiverDogs held "Nobody Night," turning fans away at the gate to have an official attendance of zero. Plus: want to see a giant metal baseball? Drop by next time you're in Muscotah, Kansas.

By |2021-06-28T11:53:30-04:00July 27, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Satchel Paige Was So Good He Could Still Get Batters Out In His Late 50s (Cool Weird Awesome 336)

Today is believed to be the birthday of Leroy "Satchel" Paige, perhaps the most legendary pitcher baseball ever saw. Paige was a star for decades, and once pitched three scoreless innings in the major leagues at age 59. Plus: we'll visit the man who earned the world's first degree in ninja studies.

By |2021-03-23T09:59:10-04:00July 7, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

The San Diego Chicken Almost Moved To Atlanta (Cool Weird Awesome 330)

Back in 1978 the San Diego Chicken was winning huge numbers of fans - which is why Atlanta owner Ted Turner tried to coax the man inside the chicken suit, [...]

By |2020-06-29T08:39:24-04:00June 29, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The Woman Who Rode A Bike Around The World (Cool Weird Awesome 328)

It was on this day in 1894 that Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, aka Annie Londonderry, set off on a bike trip that, over the next fifteen months, would make her the first woman to ride a bike around the world. Plus: meet a contraption that can hit a home run about twice as far as the ones in the big leagues.

By |2020-06-25T07:53:29-04:00June 25, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

The Great Pyramid’s Workforce Wasn’t As Big As We Thought (Cool Weird Awesome 316)

Hundreds of thousands of laborers toiled for decades to build Egypt's legendary Great Pyramid... or did they? Professor Emeritus Vaclav Smil of the University of Manitoba did the math and found a very different conclusion. Plus: it's the birthday of baseball great Dave Parker, who once hit a home run that stopped 150 miles away from the ballpark.

By |2021-02-26T11:10:44-05:00June 9, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Bouncy Pavement Could Be Safer Pavement (Cool Weird Awesome 278)

Falls on hard pavement can be very, very dangerous for some of us. That's why a research group called SAFERUP is trying to make safer, bouncier pavement. Plus: the Rakuten Monkeys baseball team in Taiwan is planning to have robot mannequins in the stands to cheer them on until fans can return to the ballpark.

By |2020-04-16T07:54:24-04:00April 16, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

The Story Behind The Weirdest Baseball Card Of All Time (Cool Weird Awesome 269)

Baseball's opening weekend has been postponed, so for now let's enjoy the tale of how pitcher Keith Comstock managed to turn his baseball card into one where he appears to be hit in a very sensitive place.

By |2024-03-27T09:42:35-04:00March 27, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

This High-Tech Sleeve Could Save A Pitcher’s Arm (Cool Weird Awesome 146)

Sports tech company Motus Global has developed a high-tech compression sleeve for pitchers. It senses the movement of each pitch and determines how much strain the throws put on the arm, to help avoid injuries. Plus: the story of old-timey pitcher "Phenomenal" Smith, who, it's said, could have used a different kind of smarts in dealing with his teammates.

By |2019-10-10T09:00:16-04:00October 10, 2019|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , |
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