Rick Bladt joins us on the show this week. Rick played in the Major/Minor Leagues from 1966-1977. He was a non-drafted free agent in 1966 signed by the Chicago Cubs. He played parts of 2 seasons in the Majors with the Chicago Cubs in 1969 and the New York Yankees in 1975. Rick had solid stats in the Minor Leagues, and you have to wonder what his career could have been had he been given an opportunity to play every day. He played a long time with Syracuse in the International League at the AAA level and had a lot of success. Join us as we go Back When There Was Baseball to the late 1960s through the 1970s with Rick Bladt.

This week on Back When There Was Baseball, Rex and Steve take a look back at a "control/finesse" pitcher, which you don't see very often in today's game. His name is Charlie Leibrandt and he pitched in the majors from 1979 through 1993 with the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. He appeared in 5 games (starting 4) of the 1985 ALCS and World Series, throwing 31 2/3 innings. He also pitched in the 1991 and 1992 postseason. Listen and relive those great baseball years from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.

Steve Luebber joins us this week. Steve played in the Major/Minor Leagues from 1967-1988. He made his Major League debut with the Minnesota Twins in 1971 and had stints with the Twins in 1971, 1972 and 1976 as both a relief pitcher and a starter. Steve had some really good years at the AAA level but didn't get much of a chance to pitch in the Majors. He also coached for a significant amount of time after his playing days. Enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball with our guest Steve Luebber.

Former Major League pitcher Randy McGilberry joins us this week. Randy was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1975 out of Louisiana Tech University. He made it up to the Big Leagues in 1977-1978 as a relief pitcher. This was in the middle of the Royals' 3-year playoff run facing the New York Yankees in the A.L. Championship series (1976-1978). He was taken off the roster in the 1978 playoffs for Steve Busby. He knew his arm wouldn't hold up and his final year in baseball was 1980. Randy shares some great stories as we go Back When There Was Baseball.

Former Major League manager Jack McKeon joins us this week. Jack signed his first contract in 1949 and played several years in the Minor Leagues but never made it to the Majors as a player. He started his managing career in the Minor Leagues in the 1950s and what a career it was. He is the only manager that won 1,000 games in both the Major and Minor Leagues. Jack built the Kansas City Royals, which won the AL West in 1976-1978 (managed by Whitey Herzog). He went to the San Diego Padres and built them into a World Series team in 1984 as their General Manager. Jack won a World Series in 2003 with the Marlins. He was also manager of the year in 1999 (Reds) and 2003 (Marlins). Jack is in the Padres and Marlins Halls of Fame. Enjoy this interview with Jack McKeon as we go Back When There Was Baseball.

Our guest this week is the 1965 National League Rookie of the Year. His name is Jim Lefebvre and he played with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1965-1972 then continued his career in Japan for four more years. Jim also managed the Mariners, Cubs and Brewers as well as the Chinese National Team. He has some great insight into his playing and managing days both in the states and Far East, and the comparisons between the game when he played it compared with today.

Jim York joins us on the podcast this week. Jim had a storied road to his signing with the Kansas City Royals. He started his college career at Cerritos Junior College and the team went 40-0. He then migrated to UCLA before he was drafted by the Royals in 1969. He played in the Big Leagues from 1969-1976. He had a good year with Kansas City in 1971, then was traded to the Houston Astros and Jim did not care for his time in Houston. He finished up with the New York Yankees organization in 1976, which was the year when the Yankees lost to the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. Enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball to the 1970s with our guest, Jim York.

Willie Lozado joins us on the podcast this week. Willie played his high school baseball in Brooklyn, NY, then migrated to Miami Dade College. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Milwaukee Brewers on December 3, 1978. Willie talks extensively about coming up through the Minor Leagues. The Brewers had a solid infield with Cecil Cooper at 1B, Jim Gantner at 2B, Robin Yount at SS and Paul Molitor at 3B. Willie was called up in 1984 after Paul Molitor was injured and he played well. However, he was stuck behind the starters and ended up selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Cardinals in 1985. He hung on for a couple more years before retiring from the game. Willie shares some great memories from his playing days as we go Back When There Was Baseball to the early 1980s.