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PODCAST

Midnight Library of Baseball

bendavidorlando

In the Midnight Library of Baseball, Ben Orlando offers a unique perspective to historic and modern aspects of the game. He does so with no loud music and no jarring sounds. Tune in to discover the untold stories that make baseball so much more than a game.

sports baseball

All Episodes

29:00

Ep. 16: The Third Man

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/07/03

Cal Ripken Jr and Lou Gehrig are well known for their consecutive game streaks. But what about the third man on the all-time list? Had circumstances been slightly different, his name would be the name we all know, we all talk about. And yet, most of us have never heard of him. Tonight, I move his fascinating story from the dark corners of history, into the light.

en

37:43

Ep. 15: From Obscurity to Immortality

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/06/29

n the early 1900s, there was no such thing as a consecutive games streak, because nobody followed it. Until a man named Al Munro Elias brought the statistic into the public consciousness. Even then, few players actively chose to pursue the streak. So of all the people to attempt this feat, of all the people to do what no one else had come close to doing after Lou Gehrig, why Cal Ripken Jr? In this episode, I try to get to the bottom of this question.

en

34:01

Ep 14: The Streak

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/06/20

The consecutive game streak is not just something that happened with Cal Ripken Jr. The whole, fascinating story involves Lou Gehrig, dozens of aspiring ballplayers, statistical pioneers, and a rollercoaster of emotions, perceptions, and changed minds regarding a record people ignored, ridiculed, and finally, revered.

en

36:23

Ep 13: Why Didn't He Just Try?

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/06/12

Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is known in baseball history as the man who saved baseball, the man who took charge, and acted. But he is also known as the man who did nothing in some of the biggest issues to ever occur in the major leagues? Was he a man who intentionally stood in the way of human rights and progress, or was he simply a man of his time?

en

37:45

Ep 12: Here Comes The Judge

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/06/05

In the second part of this 3-part series, I dive into Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ transition from federal judge to first baseball commissioner, and what happens when the judge gets down to business. Lives will be destroyed. More conspiracies uncovered. But while he’s cleaning up baseball, Landis is also willfully preventing millions of Americans from enjoying the game. The man seen as a saint, as a tough-as-nails hero, is not quite as shiny and pure as advertised.

en

37:40

Episode 11: The Commissioner Who Would be King

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/05/24

For all the known controversies and unbelievable stories surrounding Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, there are just as many mysteries. In this episode, I dig into the origin story of the man who shaped baseball like no other commissioner in the history of the game.

en

49:12

Bonus Episode: Author and journalist Scott Miller...

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/05/15

I sit down with Scott Miller to discuss his new book about the relevance of managers, fifty years ago, and today. I love the overlooked and misunderstood parts of the game, and during our conversation, Scott Miller does not disappoint.

en

32:14

Ep. 10: The Secret History of Night Baseball

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/05/09

In this episode, I uncover some hidden stories and unforeseen outcomes of night games in Major League Baseball, including a son who learned, after his father’s death, how integral his father had been in the development of lights in the game.

en

30:44

Ep. 9: The Game that Feared the Dark

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/05/02

In this episode, I dig into the question, why did it take Major League Baseball 55 years to introduce the night game, when the first night game actually occurred in 1880? I’ll explore the reasons, and the overlooked consequences to millions of fans.

en

44:13

Ep. 8: The Haunted Game

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/04/26

What do hauntings look like in baseball, and where are ghosts most entrenched? In this episode, I answer these questions, and I explore some of the fascinating, overlooked elements of the most well known curse in baseball history.

en

34:12

Ep. 7: Sorry Ray. This guy did it first.

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/04/17

In this episode, I try to solve the mystery of why Larry Luebbers spent the equivalent of $300,000 to rebuild Crosley Field on his farm, ten years before a fictional character named Ray Kinsella would decide to accomplish a similar feat.

en

35:21

Ep. 6: The Baseball Reliquary

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/04/04

In this episode, I dive deep into the story of a baseball museum described as both a compliment to and antithesis of Cooperstown, a place where players and people are recognized for their contributions and character, not their statistical accomplishments. A place that has been overlooked and undersold. A place that deserves more attention.

en

50:01

Ep. 5: Bridging the Chasm

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/03/27

In this episode, I dive into the extraordinary life and career of Lefty O’Doul—a baseball legend whose impact on the game goes far beyond his unorthodox playing days. Despite his remarkable contributions both on and off the field, he remains absent from the Baseball Hall of Fame. Why has he been overlooked, and what can we learn from this amazing story?

en

31:02

Ep. 4: Fallen Through the Cracks

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/03/20

Chuck Klein put together one of the greatest five seasons in Major League history, and yet he was forgotten for thirty years, until an unlikely intervention by President Richard Nixon. In this episode, I’ll discuss Klein’s many miraculous feats, including nearly hitting five home runs in one game. I’ll also explain why he was forgotten, and what happened to change people’s minds.

en

41:45

Bonus Episode: Former MLB Pitcher Jerry Blevins Stops...

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/03/13

When I came across the article on Sports Illustrated titled, “Don’t Kid Yourself, Field of Dreams is a Bad Movie,” I had to talk with Jerry Blevins to hear his story. And it’s not what you think. We also talk about his incredible journey from a college walk-in to a long major league career. And see his hat? That’s connected to a surprise I didn’t see coming.

en

34:37

Ep. 3: Part 3, The Greatest Myth in Baseball History

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/03/06

In the finale of this 3-part series, I dive into the myths and misconceptions about Shoeless Joe Jackson, one of the most well-known ballplayers to fans and non-fans around the world, including his actual role in the 1919 World Series fix, contradictory evidence about his performance in the series, and insights into the question: did Joe Jackson pull off one of the greatest long cons in baseball history?

en

50:53

Ep. 2: Part 2, The Greatest Myth in Baseball History

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/02/27

In this episode, I explore the nature of the dysfunctional relationship between White Sox teammates, and the bitterness of one player that may have cost his teammates their baseball careers. Also, I’ll have some fun discussing the extraordinary history that might have been written if not for this life-changing scandal.

en

57:16

Ep. 1: The Greatest Myth in Baseball History

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/02/20

The 1919 Black Sox World Series fix and the 1921 trial are fascinating for not only what we know, but for what we are still discovering a hundred years later. From myths about motivations to cheat, to misperceptions of the some of the greatest ballplayers of all time, this story has it all. In this episode, with the help of some experts, I debunk some of the biggest myths and shed light on what was really happening in 1919, and the years leading up to a scandal that rocked the nation

en

02:36

Season 3 Teaser and Review Contest Announcement

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/01/16

Here's a brief teaser for season 3, where I open with a 3-part series on the fascinating 1919 Black Sox scandal and the endless myths that surround the event. I also describe a review contest and some of the prizes I'll be giving away.

en

31:01

Ep. 14: In Search of a Catch

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2024/12/13

In the finale of Season 2, I talk with hall of fame historian Tim Wiles about a real-life Field of Dreams story that predated W.P. Kinsella’s book by ten years. Did Kinsella know about this field and draw inspiration from it? I’ll also share some final thoughts about this film, and discuss my own story around Field of Dreams, and baseball overall.

en

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