Break A Bat! where Baseball Meets Broadway

We finally found a shortstop to take the stage, as Royce Clayton joins us for Episode 79! Across 17 big league seasons from 1991-2007, Clayton performed in 2,108 games and amassed 1,904 hits in the process. He was also selected to an All-Star Game in 1997 and retired as a World Series Champion for the 2007 Boston Red Sox. This week, Clayton joins host Al Malafronte to rehash some of his fond memories from his career in which he garnered a reputation as as a great teammate and one of the most reliable defensive shortstops of his generation. We discuss anything from playing under the bright lights of the postseason, his experiences with Barry Bonds as a teammate in San Francisco, and even the adversity he overcame when facing much hate in replacing baseball legend Ozzie Smith as the Cardinals' shortstop in 1996. Clayton's love of performing hasn't stop in retirement from the game, as he's even dipped his toe into the acting waters. He just so happened to make his big screen debut in the Academy Award-nominated Moneyball alongside Brad Pitt, and has some epic stories from his time on set! Connect with Royce Clayton on Instagram: @royceclay10 Connect with Break a Bat! on Instagram: @break_a_bat_podcast Hosted by Al Malafronte Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Edited by Matthew Hendershot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Let’s drink champagne!” Teal Wicks steps into The Batter’s Box for Episode 74 to kick off our Women's History Month celebration! Wicks’ career on Broadway now spans more than a decade and has starred as Elphaba in Wicked, Emma Carew in Jekyll & Hyde, Mary Barrie in Finding Neverland, and Lady in The Cher Show. Wicks joined host Al Malafronte on a cold winter’s night for a fun chat that was chock-full of stories and baseball anecdotes. The two discussed anything from favorite showtunes to working with Cher to her time spent with legendary Los Angeles Dodgers announcer, Vin Scully. They also played some Baseball meets Broadway trivia in an all-new (and challenging) edition of The 7th Inning Stretch! Connect with Teal Wicks on Instagram: @tealwicks Connect with Break a Bat! on Instagram: @break_a_bat_podcast Hosted by Al Malafronte Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Edited by Matthew Hendershot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike "The Hit Man" Easler steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 73! Across 14 big league seasons that included memorable stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees, Easler authored a .293 lifetime Batting Average and .804 OPS in 1,151 games played. His many accomplishments include a World Championship in 1979, an All-Star Game selection in 1981, and four seasons in which he hit above .300. Easler is the perfect hitter for this podcast, as his love of music often carried him to great heights throughout his playing career. This week, he joins Al Malafronte for a chat that truly covers all bases. Whether it's the Broadway connections surrounding the iconic 1979 Pirates, his love of Elvis Presley, or Bright Star the Musical, this chat truly highlights Easler's incredible insight on the game and its parallels to the arts. His singing voice is still very much intact as well, and is on full display in this episode! Connect with Mike Easler on Instagram: @methehitman Connect with Break a Bat! on Instagram: @break_a_bat_podcast Hosted by Al Malafronte Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Edited by Matthew Hendershot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Samantha Pauly is trading in her crown for a bat in Episode 72, as we're pleased to welcome one of the big hitters from SIX the Musical to The Batter's Box! Pauly cemented herself as a marquis name in the Broadway community when she used her major power to take on the role of Katherine Howard in SIX's North American tour and then on Broadway. Prior to joining the queendom, she had starred in Evita on the West End, the touring production of Bat Out of Hell, and regional productions of Honeymoon in Vegas, Elf, Seussical, and Godspell. Our fun and insightful chat covers all bases, as Pauly discusses anything from her memories of the Chicago Cubs' 2016 World Championship to the highs and lows of show business. She even touched on the messy cancellation of the Bat Out of Hell tour and how it almost led her to leave the industry entirely. Fortunately, that hiatus didn't last very long, as she soon found herself as a highly sought-after free agent with SIX ready to pursue her. Pauly and host Al Malafronte also had some major laughing fits, particularly during this week's edition of the 7th Inning Stretch. When you use Aroldis Chapman, Broadway, and Disney as the basis of a trivia game, one might suppose that laughs are inevitable...This episode paints all kinds of corners and hits home, like a Chapman fastball, for baseball and theatre fans alike. Connect with Samantha Pauly on Instagram: @sampauly Connect with Break a Bat! on Instagram: @break_a_bat_podcast Hosted by Al Malafronte Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Edited by Matthew Hendershot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cailen Fu of Mean Girls steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 68! Following the unfortunate closing of the most 'fetch' show in Broadway history, host Al Malafronte goes into the clubhouse with one of the show's ultimate utility players to rehash its legacy. Fu served as the standby for both Regina George and Gretchen Wieners and took us through being called upon to play multiple positions at any given moment. To honor the many world-burning parallels that our audience enjoys between Regina George and the New York Yankees' own diva, Aroldis Chapman, we brought back our show's 7th Inning Stretch, with a spontaneous round of Baseball meets Broadway trivia! Connect with Cailen Fu on Instagram: @cailenfu Connect with Break a Bat! on Instagram: @break_a_bat_podcast Hosted by Al Malafronte Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Edited by Matthew Hendershot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two-time Cy Young Award winner, Bret Saberhagen steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 67! Throughout a big-league career that spanned parts of 16 seasons from 1984-2001, Saberhagen authored a legacy as one of the great right-handed pitchers of his generation. He'd go onto retire as a three-time All-Star with a sparkling 3.34 lifetime ERA and 167 wins to his name. Saberhagen takes host Al Malafronte through not only some of his highlights on the field which included a no-hitter and World Series MVP performance for the Kansas City Royals, but also his love of the performing arts. While pitching here on Broadway for the New York Mets, Saberhagen caught his fair share of theatre and even took on a few acting gigs of his own in Married with Children and The Scout. A man of many talents, he even did some singing and dancing in the classic 'Saberhagen Shuffle,' which recently saw a second life right here in New York City on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. These days, Saberhagen continues to do phenomenal work for SabesWings, a foundation he started with his wife Kandace. SabesWings aims to assist those suffering from financial medical toxicity because no patient should choose between treatment and everyday expenses. You can find more information on the foundation's website. Connect with Bret Saberhagen on Instagram: @bretsaberhagen Connect with Break a Bat! on Instagram: @break_a_bat_podcast Hosted by Al Malafronte Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Edited by Matthew Hendershot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Bolton kicks off 2021 in The Batter's Box for Episode 66! Bolton's esteemed Broadway career dates back to 1994 when he made his debut in Damn Yankees. One of the most versatile performers in the game, he's since gone onto appear in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Titanic, Contact, Spamalot, Curtains, A Christmas Story, Dames at Sea, and Anastasia. Over the years, Bolton has endeared himself to audiences as a true master of physical comedy. As discussed, he's a firm believer in the idea that theatre is the ultimate team sport, allowing him to maximize his value to any roster he's playing on. In a true Baseball meets Broadway crossover episode, Bolton also rehashes his experiences recording voiceovers for Damn Yankees with the legendary Mel Allen, his love of The Bad News Bears, and even his dog scaring Derek Jeter on the streets of Manhattan! Connect with John Bolton on Instagram: @itsjohnbolton and Twitter: @itsjohnbolton Connect with Break a Bat! on Instagram: @break_a_bat_podcast Hosted by Al Malafronte Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Edited by Matthew Hendershot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kimberly Williams-Paisley steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 64! Born and raised in New York, Williams-Paisley has been starring in film, television, and theater for more than 30 years. Now a New York Times Best Selling Author, she’s garnered tremendous praise and admiration through her performances in both installments of Father of the Bride, According to Jim, Nashville, Two and a Half Men, among dozens of other prominent credits. In this episode, Williams-Paisley joins host Al Malafronte to chat about her busy 2020, as her two latest projects have fast become holiday favorites. This season, she reprised her role as Claire in The Christmas Chronicles 2 which is now streaming on Netflix, and throughout the rest of this month, you can catch her in re-airings of A Nashville Christmas Carol which just premiered on the Hallmark Channel. In addition to everything Williams-Paisley has accomplished on the performing front, she also continues to do great work off-screen. In March, she and her husband Brad Paisley opened The Store, a grocery store in the Nashville area for indigent families who are looking to rebuild their lives apart from public assistance. You can find more information at thestore.org. Although Williams-Paisley now lives in Nashville, her love for The Big Apple has never wavered. She and Malafronte also talk about a mutual love for their hometown around the holidays and even look back at her time on Broadway in the Tony-winning The Last Night of Ballyhoo. On the sports front, she and her husband may be Nashville's biggest Los Angeles Dodgers fans, which led to plenty of great baseball anecdotes and stories. A particularly fun edition of Fastball Derby also ensues, and very much captures the spirit of this awesome conversation filled with plenty of laughs! Connect with Kimberly Williams-Paisley on Instagram: @kimberlywilliamspaisley and Twitter: @kimwilliamspais Connect with Break a Bat! on Instagram: @break_a_bat_podcast Hosted by Al Malafronte Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Edited by Matthew Hendershot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jen Lilley joins us for Episode 61! Lilley brings some good vibes to The Batter's Box as we kick off the holiday season, as her newest film USS Christmas premieres this Saturday at 10/9c on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. In conjunction with the film in which she stars, she's also created a wonderful new initiative titled Operation: Christmas is not Cancelled, benefitting both Toys for Tots and military families. You can find more info online at www.christmasisnotcancelled.com and win the ultimate Christmas for you and your family, all while helping those in need. This free-flowing conversation was filled with so many laughs, as Lilley and host, Al Malafronte chatted about anything from her days as a soap star on General Hospital and Days of Our Lives to high school rebellion to excessive rice purchases at the beginning of the pandemic. On the baseball front, there's even a brief history lesson on The Curse of the Bambino. Despite everything that's gone on in 2020, Lilley has truly had a banner year as an actress, parent, and even as a musician, having just released her first full solo album Hindsight this fall. Jen Lilley is the good stuff in show business, and that very much shines through in this episode. Connect with Jen Lilley on Instagram: @jen_lilley and Twitter: @jen_lilley Connect with Break a Bat! on Instagram: @break_a_bat_podcast Hosted by Al Malafronte Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Edited by Matthew Hendershot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julianna Guill steps into The Batter's Box for Episode 59! Guill's distinguished career on-screen now spans more than a decade and a half, with notable credits including Glory Daze, The Resident, Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Captain America: Civil War, among many others. In recent years, Guill has established herself as a face of the holiday season on Lifetime, as a key player in the network's annual It's A Wonderful Lifetime programming slate. This year she's starring in Christmas on the Vine, a new original movie premiering this Friday, November 13th at 8/7 c. This week she joins host Al Malafronte to not only chat about the film, but also the holiday season, her love of Broadway, and her latest endeavors on the other side of the camera as a director. Earlier in 2020, Guill made her directorial debut with the short-film Silent Date, which will soon be released worldwide. We even discuss some of the many ways in which her process as a director mirrors that of a great Major League manager. A native of North Carolina, and now a resident of The City of Angels, Guill even weighs in on the LA sports scene, the Dodgers' World Series victory, the bright future of the Atlanta Braves, and her all-time favorite baseball player. Connect with Julianna Guill on Instagram: @officialjguill Connect with Break a Bat! on Instagram: @break_a_bat_podcast Hosted by Al Malafronte Produced by the Broadway Podcast Network Edited by Matthew Hendershot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices