The Surprising History of Big League Chew

The Lead

Wondery

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3.9 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 October 2019

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Big League Chew, the bubble gum made to look like chewing tobacco, turns 40 next year. The gum has a fascinating history that involves an independent baseball team in Portland, the actor Kurt Russell, and two baseball outsiders who used chewing gum to stay connected to the game they love -- and to book their ticket to Cooperstown.

Check out Corey Brock’s story on the origin of Big League Chew:

https://theathletic.com/1190981/2019/09/10/how-jim-bouton-and-his-maverick-teammates-opened-up-that-first-pouch-of-big-league-chew/?source=theleadpodcast

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Well, it's the best time of year for baseball fans, Kavita.
0:08.6	Well, except maybe for brave fans.
0:10.5	True.
0:11.5	So, in the spirit of October, we're doing a story today about something that's as much
0:15.8	a part of baseball as peanuts or cracker jack.
0:19.1	There is a big leap when you make a perfect flyer in the big leap.
0:24.4	When you keep the dream alive.
0:27.5	Big League 2 turns 40 next year and the iconic chewing gum turns out to have a really interesting
0:33.2	history.
0:34.2	A history involving a whole lot of root beer and maple syrup extract.
0:38.6	The actor Kurt Russell playing on a small market baseball team and two baseball outsiders
0:44.6	who use chewing gum to stay connected to the game they love.
0:49.2	And in a roundabout way to punch their ticket to Cooperstown.
0:52.9	Today, the athletics Corey Brock tells us the surprising history of Big League 2.
0:59.0	From Wondery and the Athletic, I'm Andres Kelto.
1:01.7	And I'm Kavita Davidson.
1:03.2	It's Thursday, October 10th and this is the lead.
1:06.6	You know what I haven't had in a while?
1:08.5	Big League 2.
1:10.3	It felt like something great was happening.
1:13.4	There was just something about the emotion and the love of the other person.
1:18.4	The values of the past don't matter because we've got this now.
	...

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