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When I was in Los Angeles to interview Rick Monday for Global Traveler magazine, I also had a chance to talk to coach Mike Easler. I asked him about his favorite city and he named Pittsburgh, citing the downtown area and the eateries. Fellow coach Larry Bowa questioned (mocked?) Easler's choice of Pittsburgh. Naturally, I had to include Bowa in the interview. It can be found here on YouTube.A few years before that, Easler was nice enough to sign a few cards for me through the mail. I offered him more to keep and ended up sending him a good supply for his own use.When I saw him at the Ultimate Collectibles Show in Oaks (PA) last year, he didn't remember the interview, but he did remember the extra cards I sent. He thanked me again and I said I had been a long-time fan despite his usual prowess against my beloved Cubs. We had a good laugh about that.
I really liked Easler (some might say he was too good to be on my favorites list, but I digress). Easler tallied 1078 hits over his 14 year career. Unfortunately for him, his first full season was when he was already 29. Still, for about a seven year period (beginning with that first full season), Easler was pretty darn good and pretty feared.
As a side bit of trivia, Easler is married to Brenda, who is Cliff Johnson's sister. Easler has stated that she spent a lot of time pitching to him ("although she didn't have a good breaking ball", according to Easler). He's truly one of the good guys.
Mike Easler and me in Oaks, PA-October 2009.
Here is the complete listing and linkage for all of my 2008 interviews.I interviewed Rick Monday right outside the Dodgers' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. We talked mostly about when he saved the U.S. flag from being burned. I wrote a piece about that for Global Traveler magazine's website. That GT piece was read by David Stein on Sporting News Radio.
To hear the Rick Monday interview click here
To hear David Stein read my piece click here
For another piece on GT's website, I interviewed wrestling personalities Al Snow, Terri Runnels and Scott Taylor separately at Wizard World in Rosemont, IL in August of 2008. We talked about travel, their current life and their future plans.
To hear the Al Snow interview click here
To hear the Terri Runnels interview click here
To hear the Scott Taylor interview click hereI interviewed Mike Easler and Larry Bowa together during batting practice at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Easler talked about his favorite city, while Bowa wasn't quite as decisive about his. I also helped Bowa with fielding practice, although that is not part of the interview.
To hear the Easler and Bowa interview click hereI interviewed Hall of Fame broadcaster Peter Gammons of ESPN on the field at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. It was long before the game started and there were only a handful of people even there. We discussed his favorite cities.
To hear the Peter Gammons interview click hereThe last interview I got at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008 was with Ryan Dempster. Dempster had an unbelievable season after converting back to a starting pitcher after being a reliever for several years. Dempster was very loose and seemed happy to talk for a bit. 
To hear the Ryan Dempster interview click hereI interviewed ESPN broadcaster Jon Miller at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Miller gave me over 3 minutes of his time, which is quite a lot for an unscheduled interview. He talked freely about a number of his favorite cities.
To hear the Jon Miller interview click hereI interviewed Hall of Famer Joe Morgan right as he headed into the dugout moments before the game at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Morgan only had about 30 seconds, but I logged in another Hall of Famer!
To hear the Joe Morgan interview click hereDoing some research for another GT website piece, I attended a couple of TNA wrestling events in the Chicago area. At the fanfest, i was able to interview Christy Hemme, Lance Rock and Jimmy Rave (collectively known as the Rock N Roll Infection). We talked about travel and the expansion of TNA.
To hear the Christy Hemme, Rock and Rave interview click hereAt the Walk for Hope 2008, in Glenview, IL, I interviewed actress Andrea Evans for a GT online piece. Evans discussed her return to tv's One Life to Live, her commitment to Walk for Hope, her partnership with Lather and her future plans.
To hear the Andrea Evans interview click here
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Mike Easler and me in Oaks, PA-October 2009.
