Press Mentions
Hall of Fame discussion with Jeff Lambert of Rounders Podcast!
More Hall of Fame conversation, this time with Jeff Lambert of Rounders, and this one was after the announcement of the MLB HOF. Always a great time with Jeff on Rounders! Aired on Feb 11, 2024.
Click here to listen to us on Rounders!
Click here to watch us on YouTube!
Talking Baseball Hall of Fame with Len and Jeff, plus award-winning pitmaster Doug Scheiding of Baseball and BBQ!
Always fun joining Len and Jeff of Baseball and BBQ. We had a blast making our picks for the baseball Hall of Fame! Aired Jan 6, 2024.
Click here to listen to our baseball conversation!
Fun interview with radio legend Wayne Norman!
Had a great time with Connecticut radio legend (and long time color commentator for UConn basketball and football) Wayne Norman, talking about The Forgotten Game.
Click here to listen to our conversation!
Fun interview with Gerry Williams of WIHS radio!
I had a great time on Friday, September 15, chatting with Gerry Williams of WIHS radio in Middletown, CT. Click the audio link below to listen!
Great time with Mark Corbett!
Fun time chatting baseball and 53rd Man with Mark Corbett on the BaseballBiz podcast! Two installments. These aired on Aug 10, 2023.
Click here to listen to our baseball conversation!
Click here to listen to us talk about 53rd Man!
Great mention by Boston Herald Patriots’ beat reporter
Andrew Callahan works for the Boston Herald and is a beat reporter covering the New England Patriots. Got a great mention in a tweet Click here to see!
Booklist Review!
Booklist gave 53rd Man a starred review! Here’s what they wrote:
Sports fans know the scene: a young athlete sitting at home, perhaps surrounded by supporters, watching the unfolding spectacle of the NFL Draft. He sees ebullient, often familiar faces on screen, anticipation building with each round, every phone ring. A call from one of the 32 NFL teams during the league's yearly three-day draft is the high point of many football players’ careers—but that call is merely the beginning. The superstar collegian becomes a lowly rookie who must attend mandatory workouts in the spring and then compete for a spot on a team's 53-man roster that summer. The dozens of "53rd men" profiled in this book hail from different locales and have varied backstories, with a shared goal: breaking through and becoming a playmaker. As author Vampatella (The Forgotten Game, 2021) writes, "NFL fans know the story of Peyton Manning, but they don’t know the stories of these men, whose journeys represent dedication, grit, determination, disappointment, elation, resilience, heartbreak, and joy." With heart, Vampatella tracks each man’s quest to find a home in the NFL and get a shot at football immortality. This is a book that transcends sports and captures the spirit and will of athletes. — Philip Zozzaro, Booklist
Great time with Jade McCarthy!
Jade McCarthy is a former ESPN on air personality and currently hosts the podcast “Transformed”. She and I got a chance to chat about 53rd Man. She’s got a great show! This aired on May 25, 2023.
Click here to listen!
Interview with Connecticut legend Wayne Norman
Wayne Norman is a radio legend in Connecticut. He’s been the long time color analyst for UConn football and men’s basketball. He has been a radio personality on WILI for decades. I got a chance to chat with him about UConn and 53rd Man. Click here to see! This aired on May 9, 2023.
Interview on the Locked On MLB Podcast
Had a blast with Paul “Sully” Sullivan talking baseball and The Forgotten Game back on Dec 21.
Click here to watch!
Great interview with Mark Corbett on his BaseballBiz podcast!
We talked about the AL “Beast” and how the summer might shape up in baseball!
Baseball and BBQ
Was back on with Len and Jeff talking postseason baseball awards! Click here to listen!
Interview on the Rip Griffin Show
Really fun interview with Rip Griffin of the Rip Griffin Show, which is a national baseball podcast. This aired on Nov 19, 2021. Click here to listen!
Baseball and BBQ
Had a blast with Jeff and Len of the Baseball and BBQ podcast! Click here to listen!
Nice mention from SABR (Society for American Baseball Research)!
Had a blast joining the Boston chapter of SABR and talked about the book and a bunch of other baseball (and Red Sox) related things!
Baseball PhD Podcast
Great interview with Ed Kasputis of Baseball PhD that aired on Nov 21, 2021. Click here to listen!
Rounders Podcast Interview
Had a great time with Jeff from Rounders baseball podcast. Check it out here!
Two Strike Noise Podcast
Listen to my interview with the guys from Two Strike Noise! Check it out here!
Lincoln Journal-Star
“‘The Forgotten Game’ by first-time author John Vampatella will gladden the heart of anyone, like the reviewer, who lives or dies with the yearly vacillating fortunes of the Boston Red Sox….
Vampatella…has chosen to feature the fifth game of the 2004 American League Championship Series in which the Red Sox team improbably overcame a 3-0 deficit on the way to its first World Series championship since 1918.
Having followed the team’s failures for half of a century by then, the reviewer was skeptical the book could contain any new information which had not already been covered in previous books. Surprisingly, Vampatella’s title proved prescient since the team’s success in the 21st century had obliterated the dreadful sense of impending doom which had enveloped the original game….
In summary, this well written and researched book provides a fresh look at an under-appreciated crucial game in the long history of the Boston Red Sox. Although it will not be as popular in the Midwest or certain areas of New York as in New England, the author’s ability to provide a suspenseful narrative and supply modern sabermetrics for the game merits its inclusion in the library of any Red Sox disciple.”
See full review here.
Baseball Biz Podcast
Great time with Mark Corbett, host of the Baseball Biz podcast. Click here to listen to the interview!
Awesome tweet from Baseball Almanac!
Interview on WEEI’s Cordischi and Coit radio program
Loved this interview with Scott Cordischi and Mark Coit of WEEI in Providence on Aug 21, 2021! Click here to listen.