Episode 287 features the author of A Baseball Gaijin:  Chasing a Dream to Japan and Back, Aaron Fischman and Champion Pitmaster Fred Robles, With Guest Co-host, Doug Scheiding 
 
Aaron Fischman is a sports writer, author, editor and multimedia journalist, who currently hosts the On the NBA Beat podcast, a weekly interview show he helped co-found with Loren Lee Chen and his brother, Joshua Fischman.  His first book, A Baseball Gaijin: Chasing a Dream to Japan and Back is a very entertaining and informative look at the life and baseball career of Tony Barnette, who took a nontraditional route to the Major Leagues.  Barnette started in the MLB's minor leagues, spent six years pitching in Japan for Tokyo's Yakult Swallows, and then at the age of 32 had his first cup of coffee with the Major League's, Texas Rangers.  The book was nominated for the prestigious CASEY Award for best baseball book of 2024.
Fred Robles of Rio Valley Meats has been cooking on the competitive barbecue circuit since 2013. Fred is the owner of a butcher shop in Weslaco, Texas. According to Fred, "I love to compete and I love food sport.  We have met some great people on this journey that have become our friends, but feel more like family.  Some of his competitive cooking accomplishments include, winning the 2017 World Food BBQ Championship, the 2019 National BBQ Championship, winning the 2022 San Antonio Livestock and Rodeo, plus winning more than 95 Grand and Reserve Championships.
We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Magnechef https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high quality firewood and cooking wood, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/
  
We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home from the musician, Dave Dresser and the poet, Shel Krakofsky.
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Episode 287 features the author of A Baseball Gaijin:  Chasing a Dream to Japan and Back, Aaron Fischman and Champion Pitmaster Fred Robles, With Guest Co-host, Doug Scheiding

A Baseball Gaijin Author, Aaron Fischman and Champion Pitmaster Fred Robles, With Guest Co-host, Doug Scheiding