Episode 1: The Rick Camp Game, with Will Stegemann

Episode 1 of Replacement Players is go! And we start off with a bang as I talk with Will Stegemann–the man behind the hilarious and poignant A Year of Billy Joel–about the infamous Rick Camp game between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves that took place on July 4, 1985. Or, technically, July 4 and 5, 1985.

Guys, this might be the craziest baseball game ever played. Nineteen innings! Pitchers batting for themselves and homering! Dangerously wet outfields! Dangerously fat relief pitchers! Protests! Multiple ejections! A barely noticed instance of hitting for the cycle! A barely racist mascot! And much much much and also much more!

There’s a billion things to talk about in this game, and Will and I discuss as many of them as humanly possible. The primal kid-joy of Staying Up Late, dangerous firework displays, the disappearance of P.O. boxes and fat athletes, the decline and fall of Spencer’s Gifts, and the possible existence of TBS After Dark. It was a hoot to talk about with Will, and you get to hear all of it! Lucky you!

If you’re starving for more Rick Camp content, I’ve got a whole Extra Innings post for you containing insane video from and relating to this game here. Check it on out, tell your friends, and check it on out again.

Extra special thanks to Jeff Lyons, who shared invaluable advice for making this website and assembling the audio for the podcast itself. Check out his site UsedWigs.com, but only if you love things that are hilarious.

Extra special thanks also extended to Chris Thomson, who was awesome enough to extend permission to used “X Marks the Spot” by his former band, The Monorchid (one of my favorite bands ever), as the theme song for this podcast. He is a champ of the highest order, and if you’ve never heard the Monorchid, what have you been doing with your life?

Listen or download below! Subscribe on iTunes! If you like what you hear, leave a nice review on iTunes while you’re at. I’m told that’s very important for some reason, and I always do what I’m told. Enjoy!

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download