This episode involves discussion of sensitive topics, may contain triggers for some persons and may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. The 2019 baseball season with the Henry's Towing High Rollers was wonderful for Nick Bacon. Finally, he was living out his boyhood dream, but then all the joy and wonder came crashing down in an instant. Resources: To Write Love on Her Arms: http://twloha.com TWLOHA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TWLOHA NAMI of Southwest Missouri: ...
Apr 06, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 48
From the "Burger Bites" cutting room floor, Rance rescues some almost-lost audio of Nick Bacon living out his boyhood dream of owning and wearing authentic costumes from Gotham. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger. Photo of Nick Bacon is his "bat cave" by Rance Burger, via Zoom. Theme song Music "The Quest" by Whitesand Arranged and performed by Martyn Laur Copyright free: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNi0OX5fIxc Whitesand on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MartynLaur Ba...
Apr 05, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Nick Bacon electrified our car speakers and stole all of our girlfriends as the lead singer of The Endless Summer. The band made albums, toured, rocked concerts and rocked the internet. "Satellites" became a moderate hit in Japan. What are the guys from The Endless Summer doing in 2021? We don't know, but we can at least tell you about Nick. He's a graduate of the kindergarten program at Joel E. Barber Elementary School who went on to graduate from Jefferson City High School and pursue a degree ...
Apr 03, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 46
The Nixa Suckers debuted in 2020 and reached the semifinals of the Grip 'N Rip Baseball League playoffs. Named for the fish that populates the James River, fries up deliciously and gives the Nixa Sucker Days festival its name, the Nixa Suckers are a serious baseball team with a funny name. Spitz opens up about his effort to crash through the glass ceiling and play for the Howard Bell Trophy in 2021. He also shares how his playing career at Drury University shapes the advice he gives to the young...
Mar 31, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Courtney Spitz is the head coach of the Springfield Catholic Fightin' Irish in Springfield, Missouri, where the high school baseball scene and the game have changed greatly since his playing days at Kickapoo High. Spitz opens up on coaching high school players with big time aspirations at the NCAA Division I and II levels, and shares how his own career as a catcher shaped his thoughts on recruiting and talent scouting. And we have some some fun reminiscing about the time Chris Meza and Josh Engl...
Mar 25, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Harrison Waters hit a solo home run still regarded as one of the most important hits in 14 years of Drury University baseball. His solo shot to right field in Sauget, Illinois came in the tenth inning of the 2007 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship game, giving Drury a 2-1 win over the Bellarmine Knights. Waters made an interesting choice when he finished up his high school career in Republic, Missouri. He opted to join the inaugural recruiting class for Coach Mark Stratton, now a Missour...
Mar 21, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Harrison Waters loves to be in the batter's box or on the business end of a video camera. He made the unforgettable "welcome" video fans and players watched before every game in the fifth season of the Grip 'N Rip Baseball League, and then he played left field for the 2020 champion Ozark Mountain Ducks. He was the 2005 Central Ozark Conference player of the year at Republic (Missouri) High School, setting school records in batting and in pitching. The left-hander went after a marketing degree at...
Mar 15, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Evan Meagher is working with an agent and shopping the book, "Have Bat, Will Travel," chronicling his adventures as an American playing pro baseball in France. Meagher returned to the United States and settled in San Francisco, where he found an old school version of his favorite sport, vintage base ball. And yes, "base ball" was two words in the 1880s. The vintage game delivered new friends, new rivals and new adventures. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger. Photo cou...
Mar 13, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Writer, investment banker, entrepreneur and ballplayer Evan Meagher walked away from his salary for one more chance at professional baseball dreams. With an internet connection, an intense workout regimen and the power of persuasion, he made it to the pros... in France. He chronicled his story on a blog, "Have Bat, Will Travel," that is in the process of becoming a book 15 years later. Meagher played for the Lions de Savigny and the Bois Guillaume Woodchucks in the French Division Elite, the hig...
Mar 06, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Brad Case is a rapidly rising prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system. He survived the Gulf Coast League to go on and shove for the Greensboro Grasshoppers and the Bradenton Marauders. When COVID-19 derailed what should have been a promotion to Double-A, Case launched "The Minor League Take," a show where pros candidly share their stories of hope and perseverance with younger players. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger. Photo courtesy of the Brad Case. ...
Feb 24, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Pitcher Brad Case has been on a steady climb through minor league baseball since the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 2018 MLB Draft. The right-hander from New York was with the High-A Bradenton Marauders and had a shot to crack into Double-A with the Altoona Curve when COVID-19 derailed his 2020 MiLB season. We talk about his development as a pitcher, his time at NCAA Division-II Rollins College, his Major League Baseball Draft experience, his time in the Gulf Coast League and a whole lot...
Feb 19, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Todd Tolbert got the best of Oil Can Boyd twice in an MSBL senior baseball tournament in Arizona. In a surprisingly emotional moment, the Toddfather shares what it means to have his Dad see him play. When he was just a middle schooler in Fair Grove, he got life advice from now-hall-of-famer Steve Lael, of Branson Pirates fame, that he still carries to this day. As he nears the big 5-0, Tolbert dreams of hoisting the Howard Bell Trophy as a champion of the Grip 'N Rip Baseball League. "Burger Bit...
Feb 18, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Todd Tolbert owns the consensus No. 1 nickname in the Grip N Rip Baseball League. The Toddfather joined as an original member of the first class of 60 players in 2016. He was 45. Tolbert just wanted a second chance at baseball, and took the chance competing against 20-somethings who were literally babies at the time he was playing college baseball at Evangel University. Flash forward to 2020, and Todd Tolbert became a starter for the Moon City Mavericks. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and e...
Feb 16, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Grip 'N Rip Baseball League Commissioner Tony Lewis runs through a series of league announcements for the 2021 season. We talk stadium facility use agreements with U.S. Baseball Park in Ozark, GRBL merchandise, important dates players and fans need to know for the upcoming season and the founder discusses the energy surrounding southwest Missouri's top amateur wooden bat baseball league headed into Season VI. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger. Photo courtesy of Mike ...
Feb 11, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 35
At the baseball-young age of 40, Daniel England showed up to a baseball tryout at a refurbished minor league stadium in Ozark, Missouri. He showed up dressed for a laid back day at the river, and wondered just what exactly he had wandered into. He went on to play for four championship-winning teams in five years of Grip 'N Rip Baseball. He's now the manager of the Moon City Mavericks. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger Photo courtesy of Mike Hudgens Photography Theme ...
Feb 11, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 34
He's alive! Moon City Mavericks manager Daniel England goes with the amateur baseball scene in southwest Missouri like ice cream goes with apple pie. He's the only man on the planet to have played for Howard Bell trophy-winning teams four times in the five years of the Grip 'N Rip Baseball League. He's also retired from the Army Reserve, an ex-police officer and has federal clearances that we can't talk about. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger Art by Mike Hudgens Pho...
Feb 08, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Pitcher Skyler Henson finished his 2020 season with the Ozark Mountain Ducks with 115 strikeouts in 115 innings for his career. He's the all-time leader in the Grip 'N Rip Baseball League in both categories. Most importantly, Henson got to pop champagne and ring the Howard Bell championship trophy for the first time. We also learn that Skyler knows a good amount about dog training and enjoys the beauty and solitude of the Rocky Mountains. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance B...
Feb 06, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Skyler Henson caught a tremendous baseball break at the age of 14, when he signed on with the Double-A Springfield Cardinals... to be the bat boy. Still, those days and nights in the Texas League inspired "the Marionville Comet" to embark on a baseball quest that took him from the Queen City of Missouri to the Queen City of Canada and back again. From Marionville to Harrison to Pine Bluff to Regina to Ozark and many other stops along the way, Skyler Henson's career has been a real journey. "Burg...
Feb 03, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Direct from Nashville... actually West Plains, Reese Taylor takes a look back at his time playing guitar for country music artists Preston Ary and Jacob Hackworth. We revisit a best-buddies pitching battle from the 2019 Howard Bell Trophy game in the GRBL between Reese Taylor and Justice Boldin. Reese also tells us what it's like to get married during a pandemic. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger Art by Mike Hudgens Photography, the official game day photographer of ...
Feb 02, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Tommy John and Merle Haggard. UCLs and guitar strings. Reese Taylor has been from West Plains, Missouri to Nashville, Tennessee and back again. The owner of one of the fastest fastballs in the Grip 'N Rip Baseball League sat down at Rance's kitchen table to talk baseball, country music and how it all weaves together to make one interesting background story. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger. Photo courtesy of Reese Taylor Theme songs "Mr. Burger" by Burger Man Produc...
Jan 29, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Rance asked for questions, and a small handful of you sent mail. Rance shares a funny press box story about a live microphone, recounts the tale of his audition for the Missouri State Bears men's basketball team and discloses which Grip 'N Rip Baseball League pitchers he would not want to face. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger Photo courtesy of Rob Neiss Theme songs "Mr. Burger" by Burger Man Produced by Tay Muletti Buy/Stream: http://smarturl.it/BugerMan-MrBurger "...
Jan 24, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Andy Galle pitched 24 innings in 7 games with the Branson Showmen. He allowed 7 earned runs on 22 hits, for an ERA of 2.84. He struck out 22 batters and walked just one. Galle was a GRBL all-star, and the Pitcher of the Year from a talented field of hurlers. The award could have gone lots of places, but Andy Galle becomes the first pitcher in five seasons of Grip 'N Rip Baseball to win the award twice. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger Photo courtesy of Mike Hudgens ...
Jan 21, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Back on board the comedy bus. Comedian/shortstop Harrison Broadstreet shares some more laughs in the second half of his interview. Discussion takes a serious turn as Harrison and Rance discuss coaching football and the challenges that some kids in Springfield, Missouri face each day. For Harrison Broadstreet, coaching is more about shaping lives than it is teaching how to read defenses. Whether or not you followed the Ozark Mountain Ducks at U.S. Baseball Park, you'll want to stick around for a ...
Jan 18, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Andy Galle pitched at the NCAA DIvision-I level for the Indiana State Sycamores, then went on to play a professional season with the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League. Galle escaped Sauget, Illinois and came to Springfield, Missouri, where he caught on with the Grip 'N Rip Baseball League. In 2020, he pitched for the Branson Showmen and won his second GRBL Pitcher of the Year Award at the age of 36. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger Photo courtesy of Mike Hudg...
Jan 14, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Comedian Harrison Broadstreet enters his fourth year of live professional stand-up, which means he is about to take his degree and venture out in a tour bus to see the world... or Denver. Broadstreet is also an educator, a coach and a baseball player who had what was lowkey the most important hit of the Ozark Mountain Ducks' run to the 2020 Grip 'N Rip Baseball League championship. You can also see him at open mic night every Thursday at Best of Luck Beer Hall in downtown Springfield, Missouri. ...
Jan 12, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Marine biologist and aquarist Toby Yorks describes the work he does at an aquarium. He tells us exactly what happened when a thrashing shark injured his throwing shoulder two days before he was scheduled to be the starting pitcher for the GRBL's Springfield Metropolitans, and we learn about a big aspiration he hopes to accomplish at home plate in the fall of 2021. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger Photo courtesy of Mike Hudgens Photography Theme songs "Mr. Burger" by...
Jan 09, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 23
From the oceans deep, "Splash Man" Toby Yorks shares how he found a career in marine biology. His college journey at Central Methodist University started with music and baseball, but the real highlights were the travel and the SCUBA diving. In this interview, we also examine Yorks' baseball career renaissance with the Springfield Metropolitans in the Grip 'N Rip Baseball League. He batted his way to all-star status as a rookie in 2020. "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burg...
Jan 05, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Playing baseball in the GRBL for the past three seasons has been a big source of encouragement, healing and a reprieve as B.J. Gates takes ownership of his past mistakes and moves forward. NAMI of Southwest Missouri: http://namiswmo.org HOT/WARM LINE: 1-877-535-4357 Burrell Behavioral Health http://burrellcenter.com HOTLINE: 1-800-494-7355 Art by Mike Hudgens Photography "Burger Bites" is written, produced and edited by Rance Burger Theme songs "Mr. Burger" by Burger Man Produced by Tay Muletti ...
Dec 31, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 21
When the Moon City Mavericks launched in 2020, there was really no one more suited to represent northern Springfield than B.J. Gates. He represents the gritty, determined, good-humored but never-say-die attitude that makes the north side of Springfield, Missouri unique. His mullet, gold chains and eye black made him a natural fit for the new "Space Cowboys" of the Grip 'N Rip Baseball League. B.J. Gates talks tryouts, slowpitch softball, love, dad stuff, life choices and how at one of the lowest...
Dec 29, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Judge Rance holds court in the case of Schuyler vs. Tyler. Schuyler Carter and Tyler Jones have played in the Grip 'N Rip Baseball League since its founding in 2016. They are friends, former teammates and rivals. Prior to the start of the 2020 season, Carter and Jones attempted to strike a gentleman's wager to see who truly was the best center fielder in the GRBL. Both underachieved dramatically, sending their dispute into arbitration. They agreed to have their dispute settled in Judge Rance Bur...
Dec 23, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 19
