Good Seats Still Available (2025)

Although you could be forgiven for somehow thinking that teams like the Dallas Chaparrals, Sacramento Gold Miners, Caribous of Colorado, Ohio Glory, San Diego Conquistadors, New York/New Jersey Hitmen, Bay Area CyberRays, Minnesota Fighting Saints, Philadelphia Bell, and San Francisco Fog were mere figments of your imagination. Or for believing leagues (and premises) with names like World Hockey A

ssociation, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, World Team Tennis, Continental Indoor Soccer League, International Volleyball Association, Roller Hockey International, or even "XFL" (which wasn't even an acronym) were mere flights of fictional fantasy, too. In fact, the history of North American professional sports is littered with scores of teams and leagues that, today, are mere fuzzy recollections in the minds of former players, patrons, broadcasters, and owner-dreamers. From troubled, eager-to-relocate franchises in established organizations like the NBA (really, the Utah Jazz?) or Major League Baseball (hint: look up "Youppi!"), to pioneering clubs comprising audacious, but often wobbly circuits like the World Football League, American Basketball Association, Major Indoor Soccer League, and Women's Professional Soccer -- teams of all shapes, sizes and suspicion have routinely come and gone from the pro sports landscape over the last century. While they may be the forgotten footnotes of sports history, teams like the Seattle Pilots, New Jersey Gems, Pittsburgh Triangles, Indianapolis ABC’s, Virginia Squires, Chicago Blitz, Birmingham Americans, Oakland Seals, Washington Senators, New England Tea Men, New York Arrows, Rockford Peaches, and The Hawaiians have their place in the hearts and memories of fans from coast to coast. Dozens of franchises and scores of leagues that, at one time or another, captured the fancy of sports fans in every major North American market – only to leave behind little more than a raft of souvenir ticket stubs and, in many cases, unpaid bills. This podcast is dedicated to unearthing, reliving and preserving the rich stories behind the rise and fall of some of the most wild and woolly moments in (often forgotten) sports history. And to provide some level of proof that you (and they) weren't dreaming after all.

21/11/2025

🏟️ ⚾ EPISODE 421: "There Is No Place Like Dome" - With Bruce Reynolds ⚾ 🏟️

Baseball may be a game of numbers, but Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field is a place of stories — and no one knows those stories better than Bruce Reynolds, longtime Rays "fan host" and author of "There Is No Place Like Dome."

In this delightfully off-beat episode, we venture under the famously tattered fiberglass roof — currently undergoing repairs and slated to reopen next spring — to explore the quirks, characters, and quiet magic of a ballpark that has been loved, mocked, misunderstood, celebrated, and everything in between. Reynolds shares 16 seasons’ worth of memories: the oddball fan encounters, dome-induced surprises, moments of chaos, moments of kindness, and the things that only happen at the "Trop" because — well, there's no place like it!

We talk catwalks. We talk cowbells. We talk about the time the dome shook, the traditions that only insiders know, and why a stadium often dismissed as a “quirky relic” might actually be one of baseball’s most human places. And yes — even as new ownership takes over, mulls a new stadium, and crews patch the roof to keep it safe for at least a few more seasons -- the Trop continues to charm in its imperfect, unforgettable way.

Reynolds’ passion is infectious, his stories heart-warming, and his perspective turns a stadium often criticized into a character all its own.

➕ PLUS: College bowl games, pro wrestling, the “ThunderDome,” arena league football, and the one-game wonder of the original UFL's Florida Tuskers!

🎧 Listen NOW wherever you pod, YouTube or: ➡️ https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/listen/2025/11/16/episode-422-there-is-no-place-like-dome-with-bruce-reynolds

15/11/2025

🏏🇺🇸 EPISODE 420: America's "Cricket Odyssey" - With Beth Simpson & Mark Greenslade 🏏🇺🇸

Cricket and America - two words that rarely appear in the same sentence without a smirk or a shrug. Yet, as authors Beth Simpson and Mark Greenslade reveal in their new book "An American Cricket Odyssey," the game’s roots here run deeper than most realize — and its revival is one of the great under-told stories in modern sport.

We trace the sport’s improbable journey - from its 19th-century heyday, when Philadelphia was a global cricket power; to its near extinction after baseball gained popularity; and finally to its 21st-century rebirth, fueled by immigrant passion and the game's modern-day incarnation, Twenty20 (T20). Along the way, Simpson and Greenslade take us inside the subcultures that have kept US cricket alive - from South Central LA's Compton Cricket Club to equal rights-seeking women cricketers to youth development programs from Bronx, NY high schools to suburban North Carolina ballfields.

We also tackle the political dysfunction, internal corruption and repeated false starts that have haunted American cricket for decades - including the 2019 collapse of the USACA national governing body, its not-much-better replacement USA Cricket, and the additionally complicating factor of International Cricket Council (ICC) recognition.

And of course, we examine the handful of attempts to make pro cricket stick in the States from 2004’s erstwhile Pro Cricket to today's ambitious Major League Cricket, backed by nearly a billion dollars of domestic and global investment - and ask whether this latest experiment can finally overcome the sport’s chronic infighting and infrastructure gaps.

It’s a journey through sport, culture, and identity - one that reveals how America keeps rediscovering cricket, and why the game still struggles to find its true home on US soil.

Listen NOW wherever you pod, YouTube or: ➡️ https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/listen/2025/11/9/episode-420-americas-cricket-odyssey-with-beth-simpson-amp-mark-greenslade

10/11/2025

🏏🇺🇸 EPISODE 420: America's "Cricket Odyssey" - With Beth Simpson & Mark Greenslade 🏏🇺🇸

Cricket and America - two words that rarely appear in the same sentence without a smirk or a shrug. Yet, as authors Beth Simpson and Mark Greenslade reveal in their new book "An American Cricket Odyssey," the game’s roots here run deeper than most realize — and its revival is one of the great under-told stories in modern sport.

We trace the sport’s improbable journey - from its 19th-century heyday, when Philadelphia was a global cricket power; to its near extinction after baseball gained popularity; and finally to its 21st-century rebirth, fueled by immigrant passion and the game's modern-day incarnation, Twenty20 (T20). Along the way, Simpson and Greenslade take us inside the subcultures that have kept US cricket alive - from South Central LA's Compton Cricket Club to equal rights-seeking women cricketers to youth development programs from Bronx, NY high schools to suburban North Carolina ballfields.

We also tackle the political dysfunction, internal corruption and repeated false starts that have haunted American cricket for decades - including the 2019 collapse of the USACA national governing body, its not-much-better replacement USA Cricket, and the additionally complicating factor of International Cricket Council (ICC) recognition.

And of course, we examine the handful of attempts to make pro cricket stick in the States from 2004’s erstwhile Pro Cricket to today's ambitious Major League Cricket, backed by nearly a billion dollars of domestic and global investment - and ask whether this latest experiment can finally overcome the sport’s chronic infighting and infrastructure gaps.

It’s a journey through sport, culture, and identity - one that reveals how America keeps rediscovering cricket, and why the game still struggles to find its true home on US soil.

Listen NOW wherever you pod, YouTube or: ➡️ https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/listen/2025/11/9/episode-420-americas-cricket-odyssey-with-beth-simpson-amp-mark-greenslade

08/11/2025

🏀 EPISODE 419: Basketball "Prophet" Moses Malone - With Paul Knepper 🏀

The story of Moses Malone is one of basketball’s most remarkable - and underappreciated - journeys. Rising from poverty in segregated Petersburg, Virginia, in the early 1970s, Malone became the first modern player to jump straight from high school to the pros, quickly establishing himself as one of the game’s most dominant forces. A three-time NBA MVP, relentless rebounder, and driving presence behind the rise of the early 1980s Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers’ 1983 league championship, Malone redefined greatness - quietly, humbly, and unstoppably.

This week, biographer Paul Knepper, author of "Moses Malone: The Life of a Basketball Prophet," joins us to explore the man behind the legend and how his life reshaped both the sport and professional basketball culture.

Knepper traces Malone’s rise from a modest upbringing to his groundbreaking 1974 leap to the American Basketball Association’s Utah Stars - an unprecedented move that paved the way for future hoops prodigies like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James. On the court, Malone was a tireless worker, perennial All-Star, and the most dominant offensive rebounder in league history. Off it, the “Chairman of the Boards” quietly mentored rising stars like Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon, showing that greatness could coexist with humility.

Through rare interviews and meticulous research, Knepper restores Malone’s rightful place in basketball history - not just as a Hall of Famer, but as a "prophet" of professionalism, perseverance, and quiet excellence.

📚 PLUS: Your chance to win a copy of "Moses Malone" via this week's trivia contest!

🎵 AND: Is the new Amazon Prime NBA theme song "Victory" better than John Tesh's iconic "Roundball Rock"? You make the call!

🎧 Listen NOW wherever you pod, YouTube or: ➡️ https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/listen/2025/11/2/episode-419-basketball-prophet-moses-malone-with-paul-knepper

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