home esoterica Original binnallofamerica.com Audio the United States of Esoterica merchandise contact

Follow BoA on Twitter

Bookmark and Share

BOA : Audio

4.12.11

Dan Gordon

(1 Hour, 27 Minutes)


Listen Now

Play Now with Flash Streaming Audio
or
Download MP3
(Full Show MP3 : 1 Hour, 27 Minutes)
or
(Split into 2 parts for easier download)
(MP3 A : 44 minutes)
(MP3 B : 43 minutes)

Help

Listening Instructions

Download MP3 : PC Users : right-click the above links and "Save target as ..." Mac users : press "control-click" and choose "Download link to Disc".
Podcast : URL is HERE
*Add that URL to your podcast receiving software and you will be subscribed to BoA Audio.
Help : Contact binnall if you have any technical problems. As always, feedback on the interviews is appreciated.
Help Support BoA,
Make a Donation:

The first half of BoA:Audio's baseball double header focuses on the paranormal as we welcome author Dan Gordon, who discusses his two books (co-authored with Mickey Bradley) Haunted Baseball and Field of Screams. In this conversation, we'll find out how Dan and Mickey managed to get baseball players to share their ghost stories, we'll hear about haunted hotels, international baseball legends and rituals, Babe Ruth and Roberto Clemente ghost encounters, hauntings at Tiger Stadium and the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, secret passageways beneath Dodgers Stadium, the Chicago Cubs' strange affiliation with California's Catalina Island, and additional stories about baseball players having UFO sightings or psychic premonitions. Plus, of course, tons and tons more.

It's a fun and spooky edition of the program which melds America's Pastime with the paranormal as we explore the world of haunted baseball with Dan Gordon.

Later this week, be sure to tune in to the second half of our baseball double header as we unveil the 2011 BoA:Audio Baseball Special featuring a plethora of former guests sharing their predictions for the new season.

Full Preview: We kick things off by finding out how Dan's dual interests, baseball and the paranormal, took root and, eventually, came together for Haunted Baseball and Field of Screams. We find out what kind of reaction Dan and his co-author received when asking baseball players about their paranormal experiences. Diving in to some of the stories found in Field of Screams, we talk about how numerous hotels earn the reputation as being haunted, specifically one hotel in Milwaukee where numerous players had supernatural experiences.

Looking at international baseball and superstitions, we find out about the culture of Japanese baseball and how it connects to the paranormal. Dan talks about the big baseball culture in Hiroshima and how it has resulted in numerous weird ghost stories reported by former players who visited or played there.

Dan also shares his favorite story from the two books on baseball and the paranormal. This leads to some discussion on how pervasive Babe Ruth ghost stories seem to be, having been reported all over the country where Ruth has visited in the past. From there, Dan talks about the long legacy of ghost stories associated with Roberto Clemente, especially down in Florida at the old Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training facility.

We then find out what sort of players shared their ghost stories with Dan, whether it was legends or up-and-coming young stars. We also talk about the old Tigers' Stadium and how it sat in abandoned disrepair for years after a newer stadium was built. This leads to some talk about the recent construction of the new Yankee Stadium and how numerous construction workers threw memorabilia into the foundation to try and create some mojo for their respective teams.

The conversation then reflects on how the newer expansion teams in baseball do not seem to have their own legacies of supernatural happenings. Dan shares some eerie stories from the Arizona Diamondbacks' playoff run in 2001. He also recounts some stories about the haunted legends of Anaheim Stadium. This leads to some talk about how the climate of the game becomes a self-perpetuating ghost story, where contemporary people will likely become the spirits of the future.

Examining some more oddities from the baseball world, we learn out about the connection between the Chicago Cubs and California's Catalina Island. Beyond ghost stories, we find out if Dan has heard any other sorts of paranormal tales, like UFO sightings or psychic premonitions. Dan also talks about the hidden passageways that can be found beneath Dodgers Stadium. Since Dan and Binnall are die hard Red Sox fans, we have him share his favorite Red Sox tale found in the books.

Heading towards the close, we find out the reaction from the baseball community now that Dan and his co-author have released two books on ghosts and baseball. In light of the influx of Japanese and Latin players in MLB, we reflect on how the American sport has become a melting pot of different international superstitions and rituals. We also ponder if certain positions in baseball lend themselves to more superstition than other roles. We also examine famous curses beyond the Red Sox and Cubs infamous hexes and Dan tells us about how the San Francisco Giants broke their own curse last year. Wrapping things up, we find out what's next for Dan Gordon and he teases a potential new book on ghost stories and other sports, notably football.


Dan Gordon Bio

Dan Gordon first experienced the magic of Fenway in the summer of 1975 when his father took him to his first game. With a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, Gordon studied global baseball culture in Japan, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Nicaragua. His writings on baseball have appeared in numerous publications including the Providence Journal and Fort Worth Star and he is the author of Cape Encounters: Contemporary Cape Cod Ghost Stories. He lives and dies with the Red Sox.

His websites are hauntedbaseball.com & fieldofscreamsonline.com.


Later This Week:

The 2011 BoA:Audio Baseball Special

Next Week:

Tracy Twyman


BoA : Audio, Season Six archive