Every spot in a baseball lineup used to have a purpose. The leadoff hitter sparked the offense, the number two hitter moved runners, the cleanup hitter drove them home, and every player understood his role. In this episode, the Old Guy takes a nostalgic look at the traditional batting order from baseball’s early days through the 1970s and explains why he believes today’s game has lost much of that strategic thinking.

After the break, we celebrate baseball’s specialty players—from clutch pinch hitters and speedy pinch runners to designated hitters (yes, the Old Guy has a few opinions), base stealers, long relievers, setup men, and closers. Join us as we remember the specialists who helped make baseball the thinking person’s game.

As always, thanks for listening to Old Guy Sports—where, as long as you can remember, there’s always a stor ...