The world may be on fire, but at least baseball is returning. That's some welcome good news. The cleats clickin', the mitts poppin', the bats crackin'...oh man! The sounds of this soon-to-be-season are as satisfying as she gets, folks! In honor of our Detroit Tigers’ Grapefruit League season kicking off (acceptable mixed-sports metaphor) today, we're placing a refreshing treat in our episode feed.

Deon created the original pilot episode of Lightnin' Licks Radio in May of 2019. He did so to test all of the music and recording equipment in the basement and also to convince Jay that their stories could ultimately be rendered as a sonically palatable product, therefore presenting podcasting as a worthwhile endeavor. Well...it worked! Jay agreed to partner with Deon thus Lightnin' Licks Radio podcast was born.

This is that fateful pilot episode.

Although it doesn't sound too similar to what the podcast would eventually become as far as format is concerned, the storytelling element was strong from day one, with vinyl records and other found-sound / field recordings / archival audio sources playing an important role in the story. If you haven't already heard this episode and you enjoy baseball, poetry, or stories of childhood memories, give it a listen. We think it's pretty cool.

When many Michiganders think spring, we think baseball. And many spring-loving, baseball-minded Mitten-dwellers have a special place in their hearts for Ernie Harwell, the voice of the Detroit Tigers for many generations. This episode was written and recorded a few days after news broke that Ernie's widow Lulu had passed away at the age of 99, not long before the 9th anniversary of her legendary broadcaster husband's death. We hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and...Go Tigers.