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PODCAST

Midnight Library of Baseball

Ben Orlando | Baseball Historian and Storyteller

Midnight Library of Baseball is a documentary-style baseball history podcast for listeners who want something deeper, quieter, and more reflective than the typical sports show. Hosted by Ben Orlando, the series blends immersive storytelling with deep research to explore the game’s most iconic figures, like Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, and Honus Wagner, alongside forgotten players and unlikely stories that shaped baseball in surprising ways. Told without loud music or jarring production, each episode

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All Episodes

42:04

E4: An Instruction Manual On How To Destroy Hitters

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/10/01

We've been talking about how Jim Creighton broke the game of baseball. In this episode, we pull back the curtain and see exactly how he did something no other player could do.

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28:37

E3: The Lightning-Fast Game Called Baseball

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/09/24

If you lived in New York in the 1850s, you would have heard of a game catching on that was extremely fast-paced. Blink and you'll miss it. What was this lightning-quick game? Baseball. Hard to believe, but this was the reality at the time. And then, in 1859, in stepped a pitcher who did something that stunned the baseball world. And the game would never be the same.

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35:51

E2: The Day The Pitcher Defied The Game

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/09/17

In this episode, I begin to explore the strange and still familiar game of baseball during Jim Creighton's day, and how the restrictions paved the way for his rebellion. Also, beyond the historical story is often the incredible work of the investigative historian, and here we begin to see the amazing work of Tom Gilbert and fellow historians in untangling the mess of the past to bring us some wonderful gems.

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25:13

E1: The Conspiracy

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/09/10

There are stories that come along once in a while that send sparks flying inside your brain. That's what happened to me when Tom Gilbert first told me about Jim Creighton, this young ballplayer alluded to in The Simpsons' episode, Homer at the Bat. Once seen, you can't unsee the hidden truths and amazing twists and turns of this story, beginning with the fact that when Jim Creighton died in 1862, he was already a superstar, his impact on baseball was monumental, and yet his death was distorted and

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55:14

The World Baseball League Comes To Iowa

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/09/07

In this episode, I talk with Gaines Johnson, founder of The World Baseball League, about the progress of the league, what else Gaines has in mind, and the upcoming event at the Field of Dreams. After you listen, if you have questions or curiosity, you can check out theworldbaseballleague.com.

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49:21

Best of Midnight Library of Baseball, Part 3

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/06/01

In this episode, I debate with Matt Collins the merits of comparing players from different eras, and we discuss our own experiences with broadcasting and deeper takeaways from Season 4.

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38:34

Best of Midnight Library of Baseball, Part 2

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/05/25

In this episode, Matt Collins and I explore the three-part 1919 Black Sox Scandal series from Season 3, to see what fresh questions and insights we can bring to this endlessly fascinating story. And there are many!

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44:45

Best of Midnight Library of Baseball, Part 1

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/05/18

In this special “Best Of” edition of Midnight Library of Baseball, host Ben Orlando sits down with producer and collaborator Matt Collins to revisit the episodes listeners chose as their favorites. Together, they explore the hidden stories behind the stories: how certain moments came together, what surprised them in the reporting, and why these forgotten lives and unlikely baseball histories continue to resonate long after the final out. Part retrospective, part conversation, and part late-night

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25:43

Bonus Episode: What the Heck is the World Baseball...

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/04/05

A chance encounter involving the Hall of Fame plaque of Willie Mays leads to an audacious idea: reinvent baseball. In this episode, with the help of Gaines Johnson, I explore the strange and fascinating story behind the World Baseball League, and the possibility that the future of the game may look very different from its past.

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26:25

E17: The Last Broadcast

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/03/18

In this season finale, I reflect on the surprising origin stories surrounding the advances in technology that made broadcasting in baseball possible. I also discuss the future path of broadcasting. As technology promises so much more, we’re left with an important question: What are we at risk of losing?

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35:48

Bonus Episode: More Than Just a Game

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/03/08

In the spirit of the World Baseball Classic, I put together an episode about this event, its origins, and the journey of one national team that has evolved along with the tournament. And what it means for people of different countries with different beliefs to connect and grow together, through baseball.

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33:03

E16: The Last Laugh

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/03/01

A catcher with a .200 batting average. A career WAR of negative one. In most cases, a résumé like that disappears into the dustbin of baseball history. But this player turned six seasons of mediocrity into a lifetime of fame, not by hiding his failures, but by turning them into comedy gold. This is the story of Bob Uecker, the man who made us laugh at baseball’s absurdity, and, in doing so, reminded us why it matters at all.

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47:14

E15: Summer, Interrupted

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/02/16

There was a time when a baseball broadcast asked nothing of you. No sponsors. No jingles. Just the game and the voice describing it. Then one day, a ten-second watch commercial changed everything, and we never noticed what we were giving away. This is the story of how ads didn’t interrupt baseball, and then they did, and it was too late.

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53:28

E14: Baseball Through the Lens of TV Drama

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/02/07

Baseball has always been more than a game on television. It’s a doorway. In this episode, we move through three very different TV dramas: The Twilight Zone, The X-Files, and The Wonder Years, each using baseball to explore time, memory, loss, and the things we can’t quite explain. From childhood afternoons that never really end, to games haunted by what’s missing, these stories reveal why baseball keeps showing up when television wants to talk about the human condition.

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37:40

E13: Ed Randall, The Makings of a Broadcaster

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/01/26

Before the voice became familiar to millions, Ed Randall was just a New York City kid who was obsessed with baseball. In this episode, I talk with Randall about a story that is both unique and incredible, and also a blueprint for how to become a baseball broadcaster. His life is a tapestry of incredible connections, perseverance, and fantastic moments created by simply being himself. Come along for the ride that is Ed Randall.

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39:03

E12: When They Vanished

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/01/19

For years, three voices defined the sound of Yankees baseball. Then one vanished. Then another. And finally, the last walked away. This episode investigates the unanswered questions behind the disappearances of Mel Allen, Red Barber, and Phil Rizzuto, and why their silences lingered longer than their calls.

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48:30

E11: The Curse of 61

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2026/01/10

Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s most sacred record, and baseball never forgave him. Labeled unfairly, burdened by an asterisk, and judged by a narrative that ignored the facts, Maris paid a heavy price for doing something history said couldn’t be done. In this episode, I revisit 1961 and the story baseball got wrong.

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34:53

E10: The Strange History of Home Run Derby

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/12/24

In this episode, I explore the strange and overlooked history of what has become an event that rivals the allstar game for American popularity. Through this history, we see how baseball has changed, and we might get a glimpse of what's to come with home run derbies of the future.

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63:37

Ep9: The Athlete Television Made a Star

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/12/13

Jackie Robinson arrived at exactly the right moment, not just in baseball, but in media history. As television spread into American homes, Robinson became the first athlete millions didn’t just read about or hear on the radio, but watched. This episode tells the rarely discussed story of how television shaped Robinson’s fame, magnified the pressure he carried, and helped transform American culture in ways no box score could capture.

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36:29

E8: The Game that Sold America on Television

Midnight Library of Baseball ·

2025/11/23

In the beginning, experts swore television would never matter. Viewers would tire of “staring at a plywood box.” Baseball could never be captured on one screen, and no one would trade the color of their imagination for grainy black-and-white flicker. And yet, one messy, chaotic, barely-watchable baseball experiment in 1939 sparked a revolution. In this episode, I trace the improbable origin story of baseball on television, from the fuzzy “little white flies” of the first broadcast to the national

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