Larry Dierker, our latest guest on Stitch x Stitch, broke into the big leagues as a “bonus baby’’ with the Houston Colt .45s in 1964 and celebrated his 18th birthday with a first inning strikeout of Willie Mays. Over the next four decades, he became synonymous with Houston baseball as a two-time All-Star pitcher, Astros manager and team broadcaster. In this episode, Dierker reflects on the formative years of the union and the partnership between Marvin Miller and players that forever changed the game. His memories run the gamut -- from Leo Durocher scattering players with fungoes as they assembled for a union meeting in the outfield to an awkward encounter with a general manager who responded to his request for a raise with silence and a puff of cigar smoke. Dierker shares his story with an eye for detail, a wry sense of humor, and an enduring commitment to the player fraternity and the game he loves.

Woody Woodward on Hank Aaron, the Big Red Machine & Baseball’s Economic Revolution

• (00:00:05) - Woody Woodward on the Players' Association
• (00:04:13) - Henry Aaron's Relationship With His Teammates
• (00:10:49) - Tom Ley on the Players Association
• (00:19:45) - Marvin Miller on the Players Association
• (00:26:39) - Woody Cloninger on the CBA
• (00:33:55) - Phil Jackson on Marvin Miller and the Players Association
• (00:39:50) - Woody Woodward on the MLBPA and the Game

Six-time All-Star Sam “Sudden Sam” McDowell joins Stitch x Stitch for an unfiltered look at the early years of the MLBPA and the uphill battles Players faced long before free agency reshaped the game. Raised in a Pittsburgh union household, McDowell first encountered Marvin Miller as a child attending a steelworkers’ meeting with his father. He immersed himself in union leadership as a young strikeout machine with the Cleveland Indians in the 1960s, and never hesitated to make his voice heard or his presence felt during the formative years of the MLBPA.

• (00:00:05) - Sam McDowell on The Players Association Podcast
• (00:08:35) - Sam Clemens on Gabe Paul Ratted Me Out
• (00:10:52) - Marvin Miller on His Contract
• (00:17:24) - Marvin Gay Paul on His Early Years as Baseball Representative
• (00:27:19) - Kirk Flood on the 1972 Strike
• (00:36:13) - Sandy Koufax on His First Year
• (00:36:53) - Marvin Hall on Baseball's History

Dave Stewart joins the MLBPA's Stitch x Stitch Podcast with a rare, full spectrum view of baseball’s labor history, shaped by his years as a World Series MVP, Roberto Clemente Award winner, and one of baseball's famed "Black Aces.'' He reflects upon his Oakland roots, the influence of veterans like Dusty Baker, Davey Lopes and Reggie Smith during his formative years with the Dodgers, and the lessons he learned from the 1981 strike. Stewart carried that same passion into his post-career stints as a Player agent and big-league general manager, and he continues to embrace his role as a guardian of the game.

• (00:00:05) - Dave Stewart on the Baseball Players Association
• (00:07:25) - Dusty Baker, and the Strike of 1981
• (00:12:45) - The Business of Baseball
• (00:19:32) - Black Aces on Baseball

Seven-time All-Star and 1981 World Series champion Reggie Smith joins Stitch x Stitch for a powerful, firsthand look at baseball’s labor history and the civil rights struggles woven into his early career. From confronting racism in minor league towns to absorbing the lessons he learned from Marvin Miller, Jackie Robinson and other influential figures, Smith explains how his experiences shaped his commitment to the MLBPA and the advancement of Players who would come after him.

• (00:00:05) - Reggie Smith on the Baseball Players Association
• (00:05:38) - Reggie Smith on Jackie Robinson
• (00:11:47) - Marvin Davis on the Baseball Players' Union
• (00:17:17) - Being a player rep is an honour
• (00:18:16) - Tommy John on the Strike of 1972
• (00:26:57) - Reggie Smith on Kurt Flood's Reserve Clause Challenge

Phil Garner, the hard-nosed infielder known as “Scrap Iron,’’ joined Stitch x Stitch for a colorful look at the battles that shaped modern baseball, from the early fights over the reserve clause to the birth of free agency, the chaos of collusion, and the replacement spring of 1995. He explained how young Players learned to navigate an all-powerful ownership class, why pioneers like Curt Flood and Andy Messersmith changed the entire sport, and how Marvin Miller’s steady leadership taught Players to debate, organize and stand together.

• (00:00:06) - A message on unity
• (00:00:27) - Phil Garner on the Players Association
• (00:09:53) - Phil Garner on Marvin Miller
• (00:19:15) - The 1981 MLB Players Strike
• (00:24:22) - Phil Garner on the rise of Player Power

COMING SOON: The Major League Baseball Players Association has a rich history dating back to its inception under founding executive director Marvin Miller in 1966. The MLBPA's Stitch x Stitch Podcast seeks to tell that story through the eyes of Players, who share their personal recollections of the union's early growth, nine strikes and lockouts, and the contributions of Miller, Curt Flood, Andy Messersmith, and so many other groundbreaking figures.

For this project we've interviewed Players whose careers cover a span of seven decades, and collected an oral history that charts the union's path and the bonds that unite Players across generations.

• (00:00:03) - MLBPA Stitch by Stitch Podcast