Author Perry T. Cooper is our guest this week. Cooper's new book, "The 1890 Louisville Cyclones: Major League Baseball's Original Worst-to-First Team" (McFarland, March 2026). Louisville finished the 1889 American Association season with 27 wins, 111 losses, the first Major League team to lose 100 games during a campaign. Under new manager Jack Chapman, Louisville rebounded in 1890 to first place in the AA and an 88-44 record.

Cooper regales listeners in this interview with stories about the characters on this team and the untamed baseball world in the 1890s.

The 1890 Louisville Cyclones at McFarland Press.
https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-1890-louisville-cyclones/
Find the book at most online retailers - the book is not presently available in physical form at Bookshop.org, but can be purchased as an ebook there.

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

This week it's Rex and Craig musing over baseball and music news of the day including:

• Wander Franco's legal troubles are not over;
• Shohei Ohtani's amazing year;
• Fernando Tatis, Jr.'s power outage;
• NL Central excellence;
• the Tampa Bay Rays are at it again;
• the trouble with Minor League Baseball
• The age of Avatar Ozzy; and
• Favorite first quarter 2026 albums.

Sources: Sha Be Allah, "SOURCE SPORTS: Immigration Experts Believe Wander Franco’s Big League Career Is Finished Despite Dodging Prison," thesource.com, May 27, 2026; Jake Mintz, "What a 29-2 score says about the state of low-level minor-league baseball — and why MLB fans should care," sports.yahoo.com, May 25, 2026; Kory Grow, "Ozzy Osbourne to come back as digital avatar, answer your questions," Rolling Stone (via msn.com), May 22, 2026.

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

David Faflik, a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Rhode Island has a new book titled "Segregation Games: Boston, Busing, and the Making of Red Sox Nation" (Univ. of Massachusetts Press 2026).

The book examines the "surprising ties in 1970s Boston between the racial segregation of the city’s schools and the racial controversies expressed on and off the field of 'Red Sox Nation.'"

David Faflik's faculty page at URI.
https://web.uri.edu/english/meet/david-faflik/
"Segregation Games" at UMass Press
https://www.umasspress.com/9781625349286/segregation-games/

Episodes referenced: Episode 45A: "Shavermetrics w/ Scott Russell and Bill 'Spaceman' Lee (Radio Edit)"

Errata: Sam Jethroe was the first African American player to take the field for the Boston Braves - he did so on April 18, 1950. The Boston Braves signed Henry Aaron on June 14, 1952, by outbidding the New York Giants by $50.00 a month.

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.