Brian Baldinger (Transcript)

Robby Incmikoski: There’s nobody better in the business. All right, let’s talk a little baseball, man. Everybody knows your passion for the game of football, but what do you appreciate about the game of baseball?

Brian Baldinger: I played baseball growing up. From Pop Warner—just Little League—probably from age seven or eight. I probably played almost every position. I remember pitching an All-Star Game on July 4th when I was in sixth grade. I played shortstop, I played it all—almost all the positions. But I love the strategy of baseball. I was a hit-and-run guy. I didn’t care. When I was 16 years old, I lied about my age—I became a vendor for the Minnesota Twins. I lived not too far from Harmon Killebrew. I was the biggest Rod Carew fan. I just followed baseball.

I mean, I got Sporting News when I was a kid. I read every single baseball statistic that would be published weekly, every single game result. I loved the strategy of it. There’s a little too much now for me with all the analytics that are out there, but I just thought it was a pure game. It was easy to understand. And I loved going out to the field. I loved practicing baseball—I loved taking batting practice, fielding, the change from inning to inning. I loved the whole concept of baseball.

Robby Incmikoski: You break down the skills of football players for a living—you’ve done that for almost 30 years now. What skills do you think translate back and forth? I mean, you played 13 years in the NFL. You were undrafted out of Duke. You’re the underdog guy that got the most out of your talent. What can you appreciate about baseball players—how hard the game is and what skill set it takes to play at the highest level?

Brian Baldinger: I was just watching the Monday night game—Buffalo-Miami—and I watched Josh Allen on the dead run make a throw to Ty Johnson over the middle of the field, across his body, and it was just a whip that got him down to the one-yard line. That’s a play from a shortstop or third baseman deep in the hole, trying to get the ball to first base. That throw is the same throw.

We see it from Mahomes all the time—he was a great baseball player, also a great pitcher. Those types of throws—not everybody has an arm that can make that type of throw. Alex Rodriguez, Brooks Robinson—some of the great players had to make that throw to first base. Will you watch these throws—Barry Bonds from left field to home plate—like, that throw is what we’d think of as a great quarterback's arm. Anthony Richardson—he’s got a great arm. Josh Allen. These guys have cannons for arms.

That translates to me from those outfielders that could throw it 250 feet on a line and put it right in the catcher’s mitt—or maybe it gets cut off at shortstop, maybe he relays it home. Whatever it is, those types of throws—those are football-type throws.

And then the other thing, Robby—honestly, I say this all the time—there are some defensive backs who can’t track a football. They never played baseball. But the guys that can track a football, whether it’s on defense or at wide receiver? You go ask them how much baseball they played, because they know. A ball’s off the bat—they’re already turning and running. They know where that ball’s going to go. It’s an instinct. And some guys can just track a football. I feel like those skill sets translate from baseball to football all the time.

Robby Incmikoski: I want to talk about Citizens Bank Park. You played at the Vet. You played football for the Eagles at the Vet. Shared a stadium—you guys shared shower facilities, locker rooms attached on each side. So when you go to a baseball-only stadium like Citizens Bank Park, what is it like for you now to go there and watch a ballgame? What’s the baseball experience for you now as a grown man, NFL football analyst—but a baseball fan?

Brian Baldinger: I mean, I grew up going to Pittsburgh Pirates games, watching them at Three Rivers Stadium. So it was a football stadium that got converted to baseball. When we were in Philly, Robby, at the Vet, we’d go out to practice or walk-throughs in the afternoon—we were on a football field, but there’s a baseball diamond there until October. You don’t have to worry about that anymore.

Now, the stadiums are cut just for baseball. You can’t even imagine how you’d play anything else there. Outside of the NHL on New Year’s Day, playing a rare outdoor hockey game—these fields are made for baseball. You go, This is what a baseball field is supposed to look like. The dimensions, the outfield, the fences, the dugouts—they’re made for one sport and one sport only.

Robby Incmikoski: How do you enjoy being there live? We went to Opening Day in Miami together this year. You’ve been to Citizens Bank Park. Stepping onto a football field, sure—but how majestic is a baseball stadium for fans and kids? What’s majestic about it for you?

Brian Baldinger: I mean, one thing about baseball—there are no bad seats. That stadium down there—the Florida Marlins stadium, Citizens Bank Park—you go out there, and any place you sit, whether you’re on the concourse, in the outfield—there are no bad seats. You can see everything that’s happening.

That’s one of the beauties. If you’re at a football game and you’re up in the nosebleeds, it’s just hard—you need those big screens at SoFi or AT&T Stadium in Dallas just to see the action. But in these baseball parks now, there are no bad seats. I don’t care where you’re sitting or how much your ticket costs—you’ve got a great view of the game.

Robby Incmikoski: What would you tell your football fans—guys who love football—about going to a baseball game? What advice would you give to a football fan who doesn’t know a ton about baseball?

Brian Baldinger: I’d say if you go to a football game, Robby, it’s like speed-reading a novel. Everything happens so fast. But if you go to a baseball stadium and watch baseball—and you don’t know much about it—you have so much time to enjoy the story.

It just takes more time, but it kind of slows you down. You’ve got the seventh inning stretch, you’ve got time between innings, pitching changes. There’s time to enjoy the game. There’s going to be a moment, if it’s a good game, where there’s a flurry of activity—Judge is going to hit a monster home run, there’s going to be a play at home plate. But along the way, you can really relax and enjoy the book you’re watching.

Robby Incmikoski: A lot of people want to go to all 30 stadiums, but for one reason or another—money, health, travel, family—they can’t. How special is it, just from your point of view, to celebrate the game by visiting all the parks?

Brian Baldinger: It’s awesome. Every ballpark is a new experience. The Phillies played in London this year. Philly fans—they travel. So they flooded the streets of London, they bonded over there.

You’re in London—it’s not a sport they follow over there—but they go because the fans are there and it’s an event. I went to Brazil for the Eagles game this year. To be on a flight to Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo with all Eagles fans going down there and invading the city—the hotel lobby, you saw Eagles green everywhere.

I think it’s the same thing with baseball. It’s great going to these different ballparks. Obviously Camden Yards kind of started the new wave of ballparks where it became more than just a baseball game—it’s an event. There’s a long history to it.

I went to Cleveland when the Cubs played the Indians in the World Series. You’re sitting there and you feel the ghost of the 1948 World Series. It’s a different stadium, but you still feel it—Larry Doby, Satchel Paige, all those names in that special matchup. You feel the history of the game in all these different ballparks.

Robby Incmikoski: Kyle’s a cool story—he’s really good friends with Larry Doby Jr., who you know. His dad broke the American League color barrier, and so few fans are cognizant of that fact. Can you just tell us about your relationship with Larry Jr., and how much appreciation you have for what his father endured and did for the game?

Brian Baldinger: I mean, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, obviously. And then six weeks later, Larry Doby came from the team he was playing with in Newark. He went to Cleveland. And there’s a photo of him hugging Bob Feller at the mound when they won the 1948 World Series—and he got death threats for hugging a Black man in 1948. That’s what happened.

He endured all that. Jackie and Larry—they understood how critical it was to break down the racial barrier. They were kind of built for it. There was a toughness to them, but also a deep love of the game. I’ve sat in Larry Jr.’s basement with his dad, watching Yankee games, Mets games in the summer. Listening to him tell stories—not just living in the past, but talking about the game, how to position yourself, how to overplay a hitter.

I was at Yankees Old Timers Day once with Larry Doby, Willie Mays, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle—all these guys. After two innings on a hundred-degree day, they’re in the Yankees clubhouse, just talking. The camaraderie they had was still there, even though Willie and Larry weren’t teammates. They came from the same era. The love they had for the game and each other—you couldn’t help but feel it and be immersed in it.

Robby Incmikoski: And Larry Jr.—he works on Billy Joel’s crew. Can you give us a little more about what he’s done over the years?

Brian Baldinger: Yeah, he’s a stagehand. He works at Madison Square Garden. He’s been on Billy’s crew and with other bands too. He does everything from lighting to the teleprompter for lyrics—whatever the tour calls for.

He’s been with Billy since the mid-’80s. Probably started right as Billy started getting big. So he’s been with him for almost 40 years. And Billy’s rewarded him. I know everyone in the band because of Larry—we’ve traveled through Europe watching shows. There’s just a team camaraderie they all share. In fact, I think Billy just played his last show ever at Madison Square Garden. Over a hundred shows, once a month.

Robby Incmikoski: He did. All right, that’s all I got. Kyle, you got anything?

Kyle Fager: What would you say is your favorite ballpark?

Brian Baldinger: Football or baseball?

Kyle Fager: Let’s do both.

Brian Baldinger: I live in Philly—Citizens Bank Park is a great place. The Vet was the Vet, but it was time to tear it down. Sitting in the Bank—it’s beautiful. I was there when they won the World Series in '08. That was a great night.

For football? There are many beautiful stadiums—Allegiant, SoFi. But honestly, I love going to Lambeau Field. Just the history—you feel like you see the whole story of the NFL there. Hall of Famers. Titletown USA. From Curly Lambeau to Bart Starr to Brett Favre—everyone in between. You can’t help but love going to Green Bay.

Robby Incmikoski: Great. You’re the best, brother.

Brian Baldinger: All right, buddy.

Robby Incmikoski: Thanks, man. That’s it.

Kyle Fager: Yeah, we’re good.

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, I’m good too. Thanks, bro.