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: Tom Glavine
Hall of Fame pitcher and current Bally Sports South broadcaster Tom Glavine joins the show (interview starts at 9:24) to discuss his family’s incredible work with CURE Childhood Cancer, his son Peyton becoming a professional baseball player, the 2021 Braves season thus far and much more!
43 min
102
Behind the Braves: Mark Bowman
Longtime Braves beat writer Mark Bowman of MLB.com joins the show (interview starts 5:32) to discuss the 2021 season up to this point, the incredible job done by Alex Anthopoulos to rebuild the roster in the middle of the season.
37 min
103
Behind the Braves: Eddie Pérez and Fernando Piñ...
1999 NLCS MVP Eddie Pérez and Braves Cultural Development Coordinator Fernando Piñeres join the show (interview starts at 10:01) to discuss their podcast “Detrás del Guante” - the official podcast of Los Bravos, what it’s like for Latin American professional baseball players to assimilate into American culture, the impact of the Los Bravos brand and much more!
37 min
104
Behind The Braves: September Baseball!
Ricky and Greg discuss the takeaways from the Braves’ tough series vs. the Dodgers, the upcoming series in Colorado, what it’s like to pitch at Coors Field, many of the upcoming events at Truist Park and much more!
45 min
105
Behind the Braves: Marvin Freeman
Former Braves pitcher Marvin Freeman joins the show (interview starts at 10:53) to discuss his work in trying grow the game of baseball
40 min
106
Behind the Braves: Tyler Matzek
Braves relief pitcher Tyler Matzek joins the show to discuss his baseball career, including working with a Navy SEAL to overcome the yips, pitching for an independent league team, how his wife encouraged him to not give up on baseball, making it back to the big leagues and much more! Also, Greg reveals the coach roster for the upcoming November edition of Braves Fantasy Camp!
25 min
107
Behind the Braves: Bubba and Harry
It’s a ‘Bubba and Harry’ edition of Behind the Braves as Greg and Ricky discuss the surging 2021 Braves andthe impact that trade deadline acquisitions can have on a clubhouse
33 min
108
Behind the Braves: Gabe Burns
Braves beat writer Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution joins the show (interview starts at 4:26) to discuss the 2021 Braves season so far, the moves made by the Braves front office at the trade deadline, Freddie Freeman’s rising chances at winning the NL MVP for a second consecutive season and much more! Also, Greg recalls what it was like to be on a very lengthy road trip with the 1996 Braves while the Olympic Games were taking place in Atlanta.
51 min
109
Behind the Braves: Charlie Morton
Braves pitcher Charlie Morton joins the show (interview starts at 8:53) to discuss his approach to pitching, being a veteran mentor to his teammates, his love of music and more!
34 min
110
Behind the Braves: C.J. Nitkowski
Former Braves pitcher and current Texas Rangers broadcaster C.J. Nitkowski joins the show (interview starts at 4:38) to discuss his fascinating career in baseball both as a player and as a broadcaster, how he became the first ever baseball player to have his own website in 1997, what it was like to play baseball in Japan and Korea and much more!
44 min
111
Behind the Braves: Keith Lockhart
Former Braves infielder Keith Lockhart joins the show to discuss his post-playing career as a scout, how he made the transition from player to scouting, the most rewarding part of being a scout, what it was like to play so many different positions at the big-league level, his memories of getting his first career hit off Greg McMichael and more!
35 min
112
Behind the Braves: Kevin McAlpin
Kevin McAlpin
43 min
113
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
114
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
115
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
116
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
117
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
118
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
119
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
120
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
121
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
122
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
123
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
124
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
125
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