The Philadelphia Baseball Review Podcast covers the full baseball landscape in and around Philadelphia, from the Phillies to college and amateur baseball, with original reporting, analysis, and long-form conversations. The show also features Diamonds & Scribes, an interview series documenting influential figures in baseball journalism and the craft behind the coverage of the game.
Paul Hoynes on Four Decades Covering Baseball, the Cleveland Glory Years and His Hall of Fame Honor
Few baseball writers have documented one franchise, one city and one sport as thoroughly as Paul Hoynes.
For more than four decades, Hoynes has covered professional baseball in Cleveland, from the difficult years at old Municipal Stadium to the powerhouse teams of the 1990s, the 2016 World Series run and today’s Guardians.
Now, his distinguished career is being recognized with baseball writing’s highest honor at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
In this episode of Diamonds and Scribes, Hoynes joins Patrick Gordon for an honest, funny and revealing conversation about the craft of baseball journalism.
Hoynes explains how reporters construct game stories under intense deadline pressure, why social media has changed the meaning of a scoop and how relationships inside a clubhouse are built over years of showing up during both the good moments and the difficult ones.
He also discusses:
• Learning to write on deadline with a typewriter
• Why game stories can feel like “meatball journalism”
• Asking difficult questions after painful losses
• Covering Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton and Cleveland’s stars of the 1990s
• The column that resulted in him jumping into Lake Erie
• How shrinking newsrooms have changed baseball coverage
• His concerns about artificial intelligence and the future of journalism
• The emotional moment he learned he had received his Hall of Fame honor
• His advice for young reporters entering the profession
Hoynes also reflects on the family support that made his career possible and what he still hopes to accomplish as a storyteller.
Diamonds and Scribes explores the people, stories and experiences behind baseball journalism.
Visit the Philadelphia Baseball Review at PhiladelphiaBaseballReview.com.
Follow and subscribe to Diamonds and Scribes wherever you listen to podcasts.
23 Feb 2026
Diamonds & Scribes Series: Paul White | EP. 04
Paul White — The Birth of Baseball Weekly & Reinventing the Box Score
In 1991, baseball fans lost something they had relied on for decades.
The Sporting News stopped printing box scores.
What happened next would change baseball media forever.
In this episode of Diamonds & Scribes, Patrick Gordon sits down with longtime editor Paul White, the founding editor of Baseball Weekly, to revisit how a last-minute idea inside USA Today became a national institution.
White shares the chaotic early days of launching a weekly baseball newspaper from scratch — building a 17-person newsroom in weeks, secretly assembling prototypes after deadline, and getting on newsstands by Opening Day.
They discuss:
Why Baseball Weekly existed to solve one simple problem: box scores
How fantasy baseball quietly shaped modern sports statistics
The infamous moment when Bryant Gumbel held up USA Today on the Today Show and demanded: “I want my old box score back.”
The philosophy behind covering all 30 teams equally — not just big markets
The internal battles over Yankees vs. Blue Jays covers
What it was like managing a national publication through the 1994 strike
The stories they couldn’t print — and why ethical standards mattered
How print culture created permanence in a way digital never quite has
White reflects candidly on leadership, newsroom chaos, advertiser pressure, Bud Selig phone calls, and the balancing act between serving baseball traditionalists and the rising fantasy audience.
At its heart, this conversation explores a simple question:
What did baseball fans truly want each week — and how do you give it to them?
For writers, editors, and lifelong fans, this is a masterclass in building something that matters.
About Diamonds & Scribes
Diamonds & Scribes is a Philadelphia Baseball Review podcast series archiving conversations with some of the most influential voices in baseball journalism — preserving the craft, discipline, and storytelling behind the game.
www.philadelphiabaseballreview.com
16 Feb 2026
La Salle sweeps in their return to the college scene | EP. 32
La Salle baseball is officially back — and they didn’t ease into Division I life. After a 1,700-day hiatus, the Explorers opened the season with a dominant three-game sweep of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, scoring 48 runs and announcing themselves as a real factor in the Atlantic 10.
On the Phillies side, we break down the Nick Castellanos saga — from the dugout beer incident to the organization’s decision to release him and his new deal with San Diego. Did the Phillies mishandle it? And what does Bryce Harper’s response to the “not elite” comments say about the tone inside this clubhouse heading into spring training?
Plus: why Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford may ultimately determine how long this championship window stays open — and why Adolis García’s offseason transformation has people talking.
Philadelphia baseball is shifting. We break down what it all means.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
2,712
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 31 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
11
Social presence
0
YouTube
68
Engagement
60
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