Behind the Braves

Behind the Braves, the official podcast of the Atlanta Braves, takes fans on a journey to uncover the stories - known and untold - about our beloved team. Former Braves closer, World Series champion and current director of alumni relations Greg McMichael and MLB.com's Ricky Mast are joined by Braves legends, players and even famous fans, to share the passion and history of this proud franchise.

Sports
Baseball
101
Behind the Braves: Midseason/Looking Ahead
Greg and Ricky discuss the current state of the 2021 Braves, the types of moves that need to be made in order to help the team in the second half of the season, what it’s like to grind through a rough stretch on the mound for a pitcher and much more!
34 min
102
Behind the Braves: John Smoltz
Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz (interview starts at 13:30) discusses the transition from player to broadcaster, the amount of preparation that goes into broadcasting baseball games, what it was like to go back and forth from the starting rotation to the bullpen, how an underperforming team can turn its season around, some of the current challenges faced by Major League Baseball and what he would do to address them, and much more!
54 min
103
Behind the Braves: Mark Wohlers
Former Braves pitcher Mark Wohlers joins the show (interview starts at 8:25) to discuss his career in baseball including being drafted and making the decision to turn pro after high school, making his debut on the 1991 “Worst to First” team, getting the final 3 outs of the 1995 World Series, some funny stories from the clubhouse, his current career as a real estate agent and much more! Also, Greg shares some exciting upcoming Braves events and he and Ricky have some fun discussing the upcoming Tennessee/Virginia matchup in the College World Series. 
52 min
104
Behind the Braves: Gabe Burns
Gabe Burns discusses his career path in becoming the Braves beat writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (interview starts at 12:35), what it’s like covering the team on a daily basis, his thoughts on the 2021 season thus far and much more! Also, Greg shares a big announcement regarding Braves Fantasy Camp and Ricky reveals some exciting news from his personal life. 
60 min
105
Behind the Braves: Austin Riley and DFCS Caregi...
Braves third baseman Austin Riley (interview starts at 4:10) discusses the adjustments that he’s made at the plate that have led to his stellar season thus far, the defensive work that he puts in every day, developing a love for the game of baseball as a youngster and much more! Afterward, in honor of National Foster Care Month, Greg and Ricky sit down for a special chat with four incredible people (Blake and Julie Stringer, Arica Spilers and Randy Pearson) who were recently named “Caregivers of the Year” by the Division of Family & Children Services in Georgia.
39 min
106
Behind the Braves: Live From Alumni Weekend Wit...
Former Braves All-Star and 1978 National League Rookie of the Year Bob Horner joins the show (interview starts at 13:35) live during Alumni Weekend at Truist Park to discuss his baseball career. He talks about how quickly a big-leaguer’s time in MLB can fly by, the differences between the equipment that players use today as compared to the equipment used by players in his era, the biggest highlight of his career, what he remembers about hitting a home run in his big-league debut, his experience playing professional baseball in Japan and more! After the interview, Greg and Ricky discuss Austin Riley winning National League Player of the Week and his recent transformation at the plate.
43 min
107
Behind the Braves: Matt Tuiasosopo
Former Major League Baseball player and current Gwinnett Stripers Manager Matt Tuiasosopo (interview starts at 11:01) discusses what Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month means to him and his family, how he made the successful transition from player to manager, the joys and challenges of managing a baseball team and much more!
42 min
108
Behind the Braves: Grady Jarrett
Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (interview starts at 6:49) discusses his lifelong love of baseball, his new podcast Getting Real With Grady Jarrett, the importance of mentorship, giving back to the community, what motivates him to be the best at his profession and much more!  
40 min
109
Behind the Braves: Mark Bowman
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (interview starts at 8:00) discusses the first month of the 2021 season, why he believes the Braves record will significantly improve as the season progresses, the emergence of Huascar Ynoa, Austin Riley moving up the lineup, Ronald Acuña Jr.’s elevation to an elite player and much more!
50 min
110
Behind the Braves: Paul Byrd
Paul Byrd (interview starts at 5:15) discusses his career both as a baseball player and as a broadcaster for Bally Sports South, his sons following their professional dreams, his memories of going to Churchill Downs as a kid and much more!
43 min
111
Behind the Braves: Kevin McAlpin
Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan and the Braves Radio Network (interview starts at 12:55) discusses his career in broadcasting, growing up as a Phillies fan, wild stories from the old Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, how his son Max and daughter Mia are becoming the world’s biggest Braves fans, behind-the-scenes stories of baseball broadcasting and much more!
54 min
112
Behind the Braves: Alex Anthopoulos
Braves President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Alex Anthopoulos joins the show (interview starts at 18:18) to talk about managing the workload of the pitching staff after an abbreviated 2020 season, his thoughts on Ronald Acuña’s outstanding start to the 2021 season, what motivates him to be the best that he can be at his job, how to exercise patience when in the course of contract negotiations and more!
48 min
113
Behind the Braves: Chipper Jones
Hall of Fame Chipper Jones (interview starts at 9:41) talks about his new role as Hitting Consultant for the Braves, how exciting it is to be in uniform again and working with players, what makes for a successful coach, what it’s been like to watch Freddie Freeman develop into the player that he is today and more!
37 min
114
Maria Taylor
ESPN’s Maria Taylor (interview starts at 10:21) discusses her lifelong Braves fandom, her fantastic work with the Winning Edge Leadership Academy in helping provide opportunities for current and former minority student-athletes who are interested in working in the sports industry, her broadcasting career, how the sports industry can get more women into spaces that have been traditionally male dominated, the toughest interviews to conduct and much more!
39 min
115
Behind the Braves: Cole Swindell
Country music star Cole Swindell joins the show (interview starts at 13:09) to talk about his Braves fandom, the connection between music and sports and why he loves them both, playing golf with Tom Glavine and more!
47 min
116
Behind the Braves: Touki Toussaint
Touki Toussaint joins the show (Interview starts at 9:10) to discuss his career, how he approaches both starting and relieving as a pitcher, making the decision to use his voice and platform for positive change off the field, and much more!
28 min
117
Behind the Braves: Dana Brown
Dana Brown joins the show (Interview starts at 14:05) to discuss his role as Braves Vice President of Scouting, draft preparation, how he transitioned from player to scout, creating more opportunities for minorities in the game of baseball and much more!
53 min
118
Behind the Braves: Michael Kelly
Behind the Braves kicks off the 2021 season as Emmy-nominated actor and diehard Braves fan Michael Kelly joins the show (interview starts at 17:20) to discuss a wide range of topics including his Braves fandom, volunteering to catch Kyle Muller, stories from being on the set of shows such as House of Cards and The Sopranos, looking forward to the 2021 All-Star Game in Atlanta and more! Also, Ricky and Greg share their thoughts on the passing of the great Hank Aaron.
52 min
119
Behind the Braves: Max Fried
Moments after being named to the 2020 All-MLB Team, Max Fried joins the show (interview starts at 20:19) to discuss the 2020 season, the process of evolving from a prospect to a veteran big-leaguer, the Braves clubhouse culture that was formed in the minor leagues, looking forward to 2021 and more!
37 min
120
Behind the Braves: Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman joins the show to discuss being named the 2020 National League MVP, what it’s been like over the last decade in becoming the face of the franchise, how being a father has impacted his life and more!
25 min
121
Behind the Braves: NLCS With Jay Howell
Former Braves and Dodgers pitcher Jay Howell joins the show to discuss the 2020 NLCS and share some stories from his career!
39 min
122
Behind the Braves: Ryan Klesko
Former Braves outfielder/first baseman Ryan Klesko tells some great stories from his big league career and discusses the current Braves team's postseason chances!
33 min
123
Postseason Baseball!
Greg and Ricky discuss the Braves’ upcoming NLDS showdown with the Marlins, the sweep of the Reds in the Wild Card Series and much more!
62 min
124
Behind the Braves: Dan Uggla
Former Braves All-Star Dan Uggla discusses memorable moments from his career, what it’s like to coach his son’s tee-ball team (which also includes Freddie Freeman’s son and Ryan Howard’s daughter), what it’s like to participate in the Home Run Derby and more!
55 min
125
Behind the Braves: A.J. Minter
Braves pitcher A.J. Minter discusses his breakout season, his daily routine during the season, trying to make a hole-in-one from his balcony, the guidance he’s received from teammate Josh Tomlin and more!
41 min