Voice of the Fredericksburg Nationals, Erik Bremer, hops on the podcast to discuss his career from Northwestern to the Australian Baseball League and the excitement and challenges associated with the broadcasting the inaugural season of the Fre

Baseball and Catholicism: Intentional Architecture with Fr. James Hudgins

Mar 19th, 2021 38m 7s

Catholic pastor Fr. James Hudgins joins the show to discuss one of his many areas of expertise--architecture--and its relevance to both churches and ballparks. Paul and Steve discuss March Madness for the first few minutes and then dive into s

How a pandemic fueled a booming sports card market

Feb 7th, 2021 48m 38s

Steve interviews Charlie DiPietro, owner of Sports Cards Plus, about the booming trading card hobby. 15:00First, Steve and Paul talk about gambling, investing, and other means of speculation people have tried since the pandemic hit.--- Su

The Future of Minor League Baseball

Nov 24th, 2020 32m 17s

Paul and Steve dive into the reshuffling of Minor League Baseball. Which leagues are being cut? Which teams are losing or gaining affiliations? Will there be a 2021 season at all? And what's next for Paul and the Bowie Baysox?--- Support th

Ballpark: Baseball in the American City Book Review

Oct 27th, 2020 44m 12s

What makes a ballpark great?Steve and Paul dive into Paul Goldberger's architectural history of baseball, titled Ballpark: Baseball in the American City.They discuss old, urban neighborhood ballparks like Fenway and Wrigley before lamenting t

What does a city's baseball team tell us about the size of its airport?

Oct 1st, 2020 26m 54s

Steve shares the results of a study he conducted based on a personal premise: the size of a city's airport can be estimated by the level of professional baseball team that plays in the city.Triple-A cities like Charlotte and Salt Lake City cou

Beanings, Bench Clearings, and the Murky Unwritten Rules of Baseball

Sep 24th, 2020 19m 16s

Paul and Steve give a quick update on the regular season, which is nearing an end.Then, they discuss a now-infamous incident between Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Texas Rangers, which sparked baseball's youth to speak out against unwritten rules.

Fredericksburg Nationals Stadium Tour with Joe Miller

Jun 29th, 2020 24m 47s

Steve reviews the new stadium of the Fredericksburg Nationals (Class A Advanced affiliate of the Washington Nationals) with his brother Joe. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-top-step/support

Scott Allen on The Top Step

Jun 20th, 2020 16m 7s

Paul and Steve interview the D.C. Sports Bog's Scott Allen at the Washington Post offices in 2017. They discuss Paul's Garden Gnome adventure and the Nats' failing bullpen, which remains an issue to this day.--- Support this podcast: https:

Dan Steinberg on The Top Step

Jun 12th, 2020 41m 52s

Paul and Steve chat with The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg back in the summer of 2017. But first, they wonder what a shortened MLB season might look like and dive into the weird history behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.--- Support this po

Dave Jageler on The Top Step

Jun 5th, 2020 25m 13s

Paul and Steve are pulling out this 6-year old interview from the vault. They talked with Nationals radio broadcaster Dave Jageler in 2014 at Nationals Park amid all the white noise of batting practice.Dave talks about his humble beginnings ca

How a Gnome, a Chia Pet, and a Wayward Writer May Have Ended Drew Storen's Career (feat. Craig Stammen)

May 29th, 2020 1h 2m

We dive into Steve's time as a print journalist at the University of Dayton, which allowed him the opportunity to cover two Washington Nationals games from the press box. After Paul's eagerness to snag a Jayson Werth garden gnome got him featur

Paul's Winter Meetings and Minor League Baseball Team Names

May 22nd, 2020 41m 34s

Paul discusses his job search for a minor league broadcasting gig, which brought him to the 2019 Winter Meetings in San Diego.Steve laments the new name of his hometown minor league team and discusses the custom maps he's created for urban tra

Introduction to The Top Step Podcast

May 19th, 2020 2m 48s

Paul Fritschner and Steve Miller introduce themselves as the hosts of The Top Step Podcast.Be sure to check out their website: https://topsteptalk.com/ and follow @PaulFritschner and @smiller_96 on Twitter.--- Support this podcast: https:/

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