Good Seats Still Available

Tim Hanlon
  • 4.7 (105)
  • SPORTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

"Good Seats Still Available" is a curious little podcast devoted to the exploration of what used-to-be in professional sports. Each week, host Tim Hanlon interviews former players, owners, broadcasters, beat reporters, and surprisingly famous "super fans" of teams and leagues that have come and gone - in an attempt to unearth some of the most wild and woolly moments in (often forgotten) sports history.

  1. The People's Team: The Strange History of New York's Mets - With Andy Gittlitz

    3D AGO

    The People's Team: The Strange History of New York's Mets - With Andy Gittlitz

    For more than six decades, baseball's New York Mets have occupied a singular place in American sports culture: eternally overshadowed, perpetually chaotic, strangely lovable, and deeply woven into the identity of New York itself. Born in the aftermath of the departures of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, the Mets quickly became something far more complicated than an expansion baseball team. They became a vessel for outer-borough pride, working-class frustration, inherited heartbreak, and the emotional DNA of National League baseball in New York City. In this episode, we dive deep into that history through an expansive conversation with author A.M. (Andy) Gittlitz about his widely acclaimed new book, "Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People's Team." Rather than telling a conventional franchise history, Gittlitz explores the Mets as a social, political, and cultural institution — one shaped by class struggle, labor history, media narratives, urban change, and the shifting identity of New York itself. From the lingering ghosts of the Dodgers to the miracle of 1969, from Shea Stadium dysfunction to the strange mythology of Mets fandom, this conversation explores why the franchise has inspired such fierce loyalty despite decades of collapse, disappointment, and absurdity. We also examine the Mets' complicated relationship with the Yankees, the meaning of "the people's team," and whether the franchise's identity can survive the billionaire-era ambitions of owner Steve Cohen. + + +   SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY BUY THE BOOK:  "Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People's Team": https://amzn.to/42BQSHI SPONSOR THANKS:  Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2 FIND AND FOLLOW: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

    1h 18m

  2. MAY 11

    "Dos a Cero" & The US/Mexico Soccer "Sibling Rivalry" - With Hal Phillips

    Next month, the FIFA World Cup returns to North American soil, marking a transformative moment for the sport of soccer on this continent. But to understand the current state of the US Men's National Team as they prepare to host the world, one must first examine their complex and often turbulent relationship with their greatest rival: Mexico. In this episode, we welcome back soccer journalist, historian and Episode 270 guest Hal Phillips, author of the definitive new book, "Sibling Rivalry: How Mexico and the US Built the Most Contentious, Co-Dependent Feud in World Soccer." Phillips' work frames the rivalry with El Tri not just as a series of games, but as a "co-dependent feud" that has fundamentally shaped the national identities of both countries. We trace the narrative arc from the Americans' 1934 World Cup qualifier success in Rome through the grueling 46-year "dark age" where the US failed to secure a single victory against their neighbors. Phillips takes us through the pivotal shifts of the 1990s and the birth of the "Dos a Cero" era, explaining how the professionalization of the American game turned a lopsided regional dominance into an ever-escalating athletic confrontation of equals. Beyond the tactics on the pitch, we discuss the deeper cultural and geopolitical baggage that makes this rivalry unique. From the personal stories of dual-national stars caught between two flags to the economic realities of the "Border War," Phillips explains why this rivalry was the necessary forge for American soccer's survival. As this year's World Cup beckons, we explore whether these two "siblings" are finally ready to step out of each other's shadows and challenge the global elite. + + +    SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY BUY THE BOOK:  "Sibling Rivalry: How Mexico and the US Built the Most Contentious, Co-Dependent Feud in World Soccer": https://amzn.to/3PxRbjK SPONSOR THANKS:  Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2 Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats FIND AND FOLLOW: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

    1h 23m

  3. MAY 4

    John Sterling [ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE]

    [We mourn the passing of legendary sports broadcaster John Sterling with an ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE of our memorable conversation from 2019.] + + +  Legendary New York Yankees baseball play-by-play man John Sterling joins host Tim Hanlon for a cavalcade of career memories from his 50+ year journey in sports broadcasting – including a treasure trove of stops along the way with previously incarnated or otherwise defunct teams (and leagues). Now celebrating his 30th consecutive season with the Bronx Bombers, Sterling's unique vocal stylings have become synonymous with some of the Yankees' most signature moments during that time – including the team's dominant run of American League and World Series championships across the late 1990s and much of the 2000s.  The path to becoming one of baseball's marquee team broadcasters was far from direct, however, and we (naturally) obsess over some of Sterling's more memorable "forgotten" gigs along the way, including: Falling into radio play-by-play with the NBA Baltimore Bullets as a late fill-in for Jim Karvellas; Becoming the almost-voice of the ABA Washington Caps (until a hasty move to Virginia to become the Squires); Hustling to secure radio rights to the upstart WHA New York Raiders for Gotham's talk powerhouse WMCA - and the irony of later calling games for the NHL Islanders; The highs of the ABA New York, and lows of the NBA New Jersey Nets; "Phoning it in" for the World Football League's short-lived New York Stars; AND The ahead-of-its-time Enterprise Sports Radio Network. + + + SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY SPONSOR THANKS:  Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2 FIND AND FOLLOW: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

    1h 1m
  4. Baseball's Pioneering Nashua Dodgers - With Bill Ranauro

    MAY 4

    Baseball's Pioneering Nashua Dodgers - With Bill Ranauro

    Author Bill Ranauro joins the podcast this week to discuss "The Chosen City," his captivating new book on the 1946 Nashua Dodgers and the New Hampshire community that became the first integrated team in "organized" baseball.  Ranauro's book shines a light on a pivotal but often overlooked moment in Brooklyn Dodgers history, when Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe arrived in Nashua and helped turn a minor league season into a major milestone in the fight to integrate the game. Our conversation explores how Branch Rickey's Dodgers organization helped open the door, and how its affiliated Class B New England League  club became the setting for an important test of baseball's future. Ranauro also examines the people behind the team, including the leadership that helped guide the Dodgers through that groundbreaking season. But at the center of it all are Campanella and Newcombe, two players whose talent, professionalism, and presence made history both on and off the field. "Chosen City" tells a larger story about opportunity, race, and change in American sports, using one small city to show how baseball's evolution often began in unexpected places. This episode offers a thoughtful look at how Nashua became part of the Brooklyn Dodgers' legacy and why Ranauro's book matters for anyone interested in baseball history, civil rights, or the people who helped reshape the game. + + +    SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY BUY THE BOOK:  "The Chosen City: The Owner, the Players, and the New Hampshire City that Integrated Baseball in the United States": https://amzn.to/4nhpKXV SPONSOR THANKS:  Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2 FIND AND FOLLOW: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

    1h 11m
  5. The Tri-Cities Blackhawks - With Don Doxsie

    APR 27

    The Tri-Cities Blackhawks - With Don Doxsie

    In the early years of professional basketball, before the bright lights and global reach of today's NBA, the game was held together by grit, geography, and a patchwork of teams fighting to survive. Few franchises capture that fragile, formative moment better than the Tri-Cities Blackhawks — a team that didn't just represent one city, but an entire region straddling the Mississippi River. In this episode, we're joined by author Don Doxsie, whose book "Tri-City Blackhawks: A Turbulent History of a Pioneering NBA Team" serves as both our guide and our lens into this overlooked chapter of basketball history. Based in Moline, Rock Island, and Davenport, the Blackhawks were a product of the industrial Midwest and the now-defunct National Basketball League. They played a bruising, defense-first style, developed standout players, and, for a brief moment, stood toe-to-toe with the best teams of their era. But as pro basketball rapidly evolved — culminating in the 1949 merger that created the modern NBA — the realities of a small, fragmented market began to close in. Through Doxsie's reporting and perspective, we explore the team's promising early seasons, its mounting financial and competitive pressures, and the instability that ultimately led to its relocation. It's a story of reinvention as much as decline — one that would eventually see the franchise evolve into today's Atlanta Hawks, but only after leaving the Tri-Cities behind. Along the way, Doxsie brings to life the personalities, league politics, and day-to-day realities of running a team on the margins of a sport still struggling to define itself. + + +    SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY BUY THE BOOK:  "Tri-City Blackhawks: A Turbulent History of a Pioneering NBA Team": https://amzn.to/42x6Cvm SPONSOR THANKS:  Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2 Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats FIND AND FOLLOW: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

    1h 23m
  6. "Baseball's Outcast: The Story of Ron LeFlore" - With Adam Henig

    APR 20

    "Baseball's Outcast: The Story of Ron LeFlore" - With Adam Henig

    Ron LeFlore's trajectory from a maximum-security prison cell to starting in Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is a narrative of improbable survival and self-inflicted exile.  In this episode, we sit down with Adam Henig, author of "Baseball's Outcast: The Story of Ron LeFlore", to unpack the gritty, unvarnished reality of a man who was as much a product of Detroit's turbulent East Side as he was a victim of his own choices. We explore LeFlore's early years in a one-bedroom apartment plagued by poverty , the formative trauma of losing his brother Harry — an Olympic boxer — to a ring injury, and the heroin addiction that led to the armed robbery that defined his youth. Henig takes us through the high-stakes process of documenting a life that feels more like a crime thriller than a sports biography. We discuss the "76-year-old jigsaw puzzle" Henig spent over four years piecing together through dozens of phone calls with LeFlore, despite the two never meeting in person. Henig also reveals the shadowy figures who facilitated LeFlore's rise, including Mafia associate Jimmy Karalla, who used his connections at the legendary Lindell AC bar to secure LeFlore a prison furlough for a Tiger Stadium tryout. Beyond the 30-game hitting streak and the stolen-base titles, we examine the dark side of celebrity that LeFlore could never quite outrun. Henig sheds light on LeFlore's dangerous proximity to Frank Usher and the "Murder Row" crime family, a connection that ultimately eroded the trust of the baseball establishment. Finally, we look at the sobering post-career years, from working as an airport skycap to facing the health crises that cost him his leg.    This conversation offers an essential look at the heavy price of a second chance and the complicated legacy of a man who reached the heights of the game only to find himself an outcast.   + + +    SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY BUY THE BOOK:  "Baseball's Outcast: The Story of Ron LeFlore": https://amzn.to/4vJT7pO   SPONSOR THANKS:  Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2 FIND AND FOLLOW: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

    1h 31m
  7. The NASL's Detroit Express (& More!) - With Roger Faulkner

    APR 13

    The NASL's Detroit Express (& More!) - With Roger Faulkner

    From wartime England to the rise — and fall — of pro soccer's first big American boom, Roger Faulkner has seen it all — and now, he's telling that story in his new memoir, "You Can't Get There from Here: My Soccer Journey from Derby to Detroit." In this episode, we sit down with the Detroit Express co-founder to trace an unlikely journey: from growing up in Derby to helping bring top-flight international soccer to the Midwest at the height of the original North American Soccer League. Alongside high-profile partner/soccer  impresario Jimmy Hill, Faulkner helped build a franchise that aimed to blend global star power with big-event American sports presentation — highlighted by marquee signings like Trevor Francis and matches staged inside a cavernous new Pontiac Silverdome. Faulkner offers a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it actually took to launch and operate an NASL club — where ambition often outpaced economics, and where the line between visionary and unsustainable was razor-thin. He reflects on the league's rapid ascent, its structural fragility, and the lessons learned as the Express hastily relocated amid the NASL's broader unraveling. Just as compelling, Faulkner shares how he stayed in the game — helping build the foundation for soccer's next chapter in the U.S., including an instrumental role in bringing the 1994 World Cup to Detroit. It's a revealing conversation — and a fitting companion to his hoot of a memoir — with one of American soccer's most underappreciated builders, who lived both the dream and the reality of the sport's first modern era. PLUS: Our trivia contest is back - this time for a chance to win a copy of "You Can't Get There from Here"! + + +    SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY BUY THE BOOK:  "You Can't Get There from Here: My Soccer Journey from Derby to Detroit": https://amzn.to/423VyFO SPONSOR THANKS:  Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2 Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats FIND AND FOLLOW: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

    1h 30m
  8. "Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN" - With Greg DeHart & Mike Soltys

    APR 6

    "Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN" - With Greg DeHart & Mike Soltys

    ESPN didn't begin as a media giant — it started as a gamble.    In 1979, a cash-strapped startup bet on an unproven proposition: a 24-hour sports cable TV network delivered by satellite, built largely on programming no one else wanted and live coverage that barely existed. By any conventional measure, it was an absurd idea. It also changed sports media forever. This week, we revisit that origin story through a new lens: "Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN," premiering April 6th on (where else?) ESPN. The documentary traces how founders Bill Rasmussen, his son Scott, and an unlikely group of partners pushed past industry skepticism, financial instability, and the daunting challenge of programming an "always-on" sports network — laying the groundwork for what would become a global media powerhouse. Joining us are director Greg DeHart and producer Mike Soltys, ESPN's longtime institutional historian, to explore both the story itself and the challenge of telling it. Drawing on archival footage and interviews with the Rasmussens, along with early executives and production pioneers, the film captures the improvisational, high-risk reality of ESPN's earliest days. We discuss what the filmmakers uncovered that even seasoned observers may not know, how they balanced nostalgia with clear-eyed storytelling, and why ESPN's startup DNA — equal parts technological leap, programming opportunism, and entrepreneurial persistence — still resonates in today's fractured sports media landscape. "Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN" premieres April 6th at 8:30pm ET on ESPN. The companion audiobook is also available now, with a hardcover book to be released in May.   + + +    SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY BUY THE BOOK:  "Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN": https://amzn.to/3PRz1cC SPONSOR THANKS:  Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2 FIND AND FOLLOW: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

    1h 11m
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4.7
out of 5
105 Ratings

About

"Good Seats Still Available" is a curious little podcast devoted to the exploration of what used-to-be in professional sports. Each week, host Tim Hanlon interviews former players, owners, broadcasters, beat reporters, and surprisingly famous "super fans" of teams and leagues that have come and gone - in an attempt to unearth some of the most wild and woolly moments in (often forgotten) sports history.

Information

  • Creator
    Tim Hanlon
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    484
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Good Seats Still Available
  • Show Website
    Good Seats Still Available

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