In 1985, the defending USFL champion Philadelphia Stars moved to Baltimore. They didn’t quite make it but kept the name and defended their title. Join us for the strange story of the 1985 “Baltimore Stars.”

Robin presents the case for the odds of anyone matching the accomplishments Frank Robinson achieved in his career being a million to one, and the Statman chimes in with the surprising ripple effect the Orioles trading him in 1971 had across baseball.

The Statman and Robin debate their choices for the four cherished sports on the Mount Rushmore of Baltimore sports. They reviewed the credentials of a strong pool of candidates and ended with one notable disagreement (but they are still friends).

Statman and Robin look back at Baltimore training camps with the Ravens in 2001 and Colts in 1971 and the television coverage they received. They also review the Colts' history with exhibition/pre-season games and two devastating injuries suffered during them.

During the Orioles Magic era (1979-83) there were two weekend series that jumped out to us as truly magical. In part two of this discussion, we go back to mid-August 1980 when the Yankees came to Baltimore for a five-game series in the midst of a battle for the AL East lead. The stakes and intensity epitomized the teams' rivalry at the time.

During the Orioles Magic era (1979-83) there were two weekend series that jumped out to us as truly magical. In part one, we go back to the final series of the 1982 season, where the Orioles hosted the Brewers needing a sweep to win the AL East. It was also the time to bid farewell to manager Earl Weaver. You can also determine if the StatMan actually raised up to a higher level of being (doubtful).

StatMan and Robin Podcast, Episode 2: How We Got Hooked

Every sports fan has that moment when they experience something that connects them to a team and they are hooked to them forever. In this episode, Statman and Robin share their experiences of how they got hooked by two of their favorite teams.

Statman and Robin Podcast Episode 1: Our Favorite Things

With this introduction episode, we sit down and talk about some of our favorite things from our time (over 50 years) following Baltimore sports.

The city of Baltimore has a rich sports history dating back to the “Hit ‘em where they ain’t” Orioles of the 1890’s. Since then, the Colts, Orioles, Ravens and nearby Maryland Terrapins have provided fans with thrilling victories and crushing defeats, and we’ve been there for them all going back to the 1966 World Series champion Orioles.

We’ll bring you the stories of our teams through the years featuring not just the action on the field, but memories of the players, coaches, executives and the city itself. From the champs to the bad teams that make us appreciate the good ones even more, there are stories we want to share for posterity. We hope the younger fans learn, and older fans relive those memories and perhaps learn something they didn’t know.

We’ll also occasionally add stories of some lesser-known Baltimore teams, in sports like indoor soccer, lacrosse, and even Canadian football. Also, don’t forget the Baltimore Bullets.

We hope you will enjoy our bi-weekly shows as much as we will enjoy reliving these great times of our lives.

HOSTS - JIM JOHNSON & ROBIN HAINES

Jim Johnson bio:

I’m Jim Johson (aka StatMan), one of the co-hosts of Baltimore Sports History. I escaped the doldrums of Washington, DC sports in the 1960s when I moved to the Baltimore area during the 1970 World Series, which the Orioles won, and met Robin Haines. We quickly bonded over sports, a bond that lasted past school years through families and careers.

I have written about sports for various websites over the years. I did “The Courtmaster” column covering ACC and Maryland Terps men’s basketball (and a National Championship) in the early 2000’s. I also wrote about college football in the mid 2000’s. More recently, I wrote about Baltimore football history and the AFC North for Baltimore Sports and Life from 2021-2023. Now happily retired, I enjoy going back to the history of my favorite teams and sharing it with Robin, and you.

Robin Haines bio:

I’m Robin Haines, a retired R.N. and lifelong Baltimore area resident who grew up hearing my dad talk about the pre-1954 minor league Orioles. The seed was planted for my growth into a die-hard Baltimore sports follower (and when you’re named after a baseball Hall of Famer-well, there’s a story there).

I met Jim Johnson when we were both around 12 years old, and we have shared the ups and downs (and many quirks) of the Baltimore sports scene for most of our lives. You know how a sports story or event you share with someone can instantly take you back to an earlier version of yourselves? That’s how it is with Jim and me, and I hope to share that connection on this podcast.

I am not, nor was I ever, a Miami Dolphins fan, but after I took a project writing a week-by-week chronicle of their 17-0 championship season in 1972, I became a real fan of what I came to see as a perfect team.

The series was posted every week from August 2022 through February 2023, 25 parts in all, at DolphinsTalk.com, which still has some of the best Dolphins coverage and talk on the Internet. I thoroughly enjoyed researching and writing this series, and I think you will enjoy reading it, especially if you are too young to remember this season. You will get a feel not only for this team but for how the game was played back then.

The Perfect Team-Miami Dolphins 1972 @ DolphinsTalk.com

Last year I had the opportunity to join Darrin Hayes on two episodes of his Pigskin Dispatch program to discuss the importance of the 1958 and 1959 NFL Champion Baltimore Colts. We obviously spent some time talking about the “Greatest Game Ever Played,” the 1958 Championship, but also contracting the experience between the two years for the team and the city. This was part of Darrin’s series on all, and I do mean ALL, NFL champions in the pre-Super Bowl era (yes folks, there was such a thing). Hope you find these a good watch or listen.

In 2022 after the Houston Texans traded quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns and he had signed a record-setting contract, I wanted to cut through some of the noise surrounding him and his image. I wrote a three-part series for Cleveland Sports Talk where I took what I hope was an objective look at a complicated person. I think it has held up well so I’m sharing this with new readers coming on board to this site.

Deshaun Watson Part 1-The Overcomer

Deshaun Watson Part 2-The Giver

Deshaun Watson Part 3-The Entitled One