Baseball and Softball Stars

It's another baseball-intensive episode, when David & Elliott step up to the plate with the Hebrew Hammer Al Rosen and six time All-Star pitcher Sam McDowell. Plus, the lovely Caitlin Lever, outfielder for the Chicago Bandits joins us in studio.

Episode Segments:

Sports and Torts: Al Rosen We talk to Al about his career, his Indian teammates, some of the best players he faced, and making the transition from the field to the front office.
Embed Code
Sports and Torts: Caitlin Lever The Bandits outfielder gives us a little background on the team’s new stadium, and a special appearance by a Cubs star pitcher. She also talks about her hockey background, Olympic experience, and the future of women’s professional softball.
Embed Code
Sports and Torts: Sam McDowell The hard-throwing lefty discusses his career, his teammates, being the inspiration for Sam Malone on Cheers, and his current work with retired ballplayers.
Embed Code

Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Sam McDowell Samuel Edward Thomas "Sam" McDowell (born September 21, 1942 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball, playing his first 11 seasons for the Cleveland Indians before a 1971 trade to the San Francisco Giants and subsequent stints with the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates. Tall (6 feet, 5 inches) and powerful, his left-handed fastball was delivered with an unusually calm pitching motion which led to his memorable nickname: "Sudden Sam." His strikeout prowess was sometimes nullified by periodic control problems. In 1960, McDowell signed with the Indians for a six-figure bonus. He appeared in his first big league game a year later, one week before his 19th birthday. After struggling over the next two seasons, McDowell became a starting pitcher in 1964 and became a workhorse over the next eight seasons. He tossed over 200 innings in seven of those years and ranked among the American League's leaders in strikeouts. To date, his 2159 strikeouts trail only Bob Feller's 2581 among Indian pitchers. He twice exceeded 300 K's in a season, including 325 in 1965—second in franchise history to only Feller's 348 in 1946. A six-time All-Star (1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971), McDowell was also the league leader in ERA and strikeouts in 1965, led in strikeouts and shutouts in 1966 and led the league in strikeouts again in 1968 and 1969. In 1970, he put together his best season, when he was named "Pitcher of the Year" by The Sporting News, once again leading in strikeouts while winning 20 games for the first and only time of his career. Sam's Career Stats

Al Rosen Albert Leonard Rosen (born February 29, 1924), nicknamed "Al", "Flip", and the "Hebrew Hammer", is a former American major league third baseman and right-handed slugger. He played his entire 10-year career (1947–1956) with the Cleveland Indians in the American League, where he drove in 100 or more runs 5 years in a row, was a 4-time All-Star, twice led the league in home runs and twice in RBIs, and was an MVP. Rosen was extremely muscular, and had tremendous power and excellent bat control. Rosen was a .285 career hitter, with 192 home runs and 717 RBIs in 1,044 games. He was selected for the All-Star Game every year between 1952 and 1955. Rosen appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1955.After retiring in 1956, he became a stockbroker. Rosen reentered baseball 20 years later as a MLB executive. He was president (and chief operating officer) of the Yankees (1978–79), then the Astros (1980–85), and then president and general manager of the Giants (1985–92). His maneuvering brought San Francisco from last place in 1985 to the NL West title in 1987 and the NL Pennant in 1989.Rosen occasionally consults for baseball teams, including a stint with the Yankees as special assistant to the general manager in 2001 and 2002. He was featured in the 2010 movie narrated by Dustin Hoffman called Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story. Al's Career Stats

Caitlin Lever Caitlin Lever (b. March 12, 1985 in Morristown, New Jersey) is a Canadian softball player. She is an outfielder who bats left and throws right. She played for Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She graduated from Georgia Tech in 2007. In her final year, she set team records for hits and on base percentage. After graduation, she signed with the Chicago Bandits of National Pro Fastpitch. In her youth, she played ice hockey. She currently resides in Buffalo, New York. Her father is former NHL player Don Lever. Her uncle another former NHLer, Rick Ley. She was born in Morristown, New Jersey when her father was a member of the New Jersey Devils. Chicago Bandits Website