Joe Flattery
The prodigal brother
How many episodes does it take to land (arguably) the most talented Flattery brother on the podcast? 221 was the magic number to bring in the big lefty, Joe Flattery. Brother Joe stands out from his brothers for a few reasons. He is the tallest, calmest, quietest, and the only lefty of the group. This week, all of the Flattery boys sit down in the family home to share stories about Joe and his career in sports.
One thing that this podcast has certainly made clear is that family is very important. Growing up surrounded by cousins, friends, and a family that loves sports, competing has always been part of Joe’s life. The Flattery brothers share their unique perspectives on what competition and sports mean to them.
Joe Flattery’s baseball career ended in the minor leagues but it started in the backyard. Neil, Tim, and Joe share stories about neighborhood backyard games that turned into a formalized league, with a Shed of Fame, that helped spark a love for competing.
Wow, this is big-time baseball
After a very successful high school career in every sport he picked up, Joe decided to continue his baseball career at Iowa Central. Joe was a standout, lefty prospect for the Tritons and was recruited to be the ace for Kansas State. Joe talks about the transition from high school to junior college and then the jump into the Big 12. In his two seasons in The Little Apple, Joe helped lead the Wildcats to a Big 12 title and the Super Regional. KState came up one out short of making it to the College World Series.
Joe signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers to give professional baseball a shot when his college days were over. After four years of college ball, entering the minors presented the challenge of climbing the ranks in a minor league system. After his stint in the Tiger’s system, Joe was ready to walk off of the mound for the last time and wait for his interview on the Moonlight Graham Show.
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This week we are sending out dreams of spring and early tee times on the weekend. Tim sits down with Nate McCoy to talk all things golf and life after you start carrying your own bag. The former Cyclone and pro golfer shares his perspective on the game, his career, and his decision to make a career in golf without the clubs in his hands.
Every Iowa sports fan knows the reputation of Harlan Community High School. The Harlan Cyclones are known far and wide for their success in every sport. Coach Bladt and the football program built a foundation of success that the entire community rests on. There is a lot of pride in the school colors and full bleachers whenever they take the field or court. Mitch Osborn has helped to continue that success in his roles as AD and head basketball coach. This week we sit down with Coach Osborn to learn about his career and what makes Harlan so darn special.
Much of the Moonlight Graham Show has been about telling the stories of former athletes. We have spent 274 episodes looking back on glory days and telling the stories that either made the highlights or shaped the person in the jersey. But this week, we look at a sport that is bringing athletes back to life while it grows on a national stage. Pickleball has been growing in popularity over the last decade. Today, names as big as Lebron James are involved as investors and sponsors. The game has gone from junior high PE classes and retirement communities to deserving real attention.
Every listener to this podcast knows that a game of catch is rarely just a game of catch. Playing catch is an opportunity to connect with someone, whether you spend that time in conversation or just listening to the pop of the ball hitting the leather. Few understand this more than this week’s guest, Kevin Negaard. Negaard’s journey is nearing his goal of 365 consecutive days of catch. This endeavor has connected him with hundreds of partners, has spanned two continents, and led to two injections in his shoulder.
This week’s Moonlighter is an underdog, but the hardwood he plays on is more likely to be found on a stage than on a basketball court. Like most of our guests, he is a former athlete, but unlike many of our guests, he walked away from the game instead of the other way around. Griffin House has spent the last 20+ years with a guitar in his hands, recording, touring, and turning out songs that thousands of us love to sing along with.
The college basketball season is about to hit full swing. A lot of the attention in Iowa is on the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones and where they might fall in the top 25. But, lucky for us, we also have two top-tier Missouri Valley Conference teams in the state. Almost every February, there is talk about how many of our big 4 teams can get into the tourney and who can make a run. This week we welcome one of the best Drake Bulldogs to ever put on the uniform, Reed Timmer. Timmer’s career included many records, and he was part of the transition from a few rough years into the upshot that Drake has been on for the last several seasons.
Role players come in all shapes and sizes. And sometimes, they have to change their shapes and sizes to fit their roles. So as you fill up on Christmas goodies and homecooked meals, just pretend you are getting yourself ready for a new challenge. Ryan Harklau went from being a 3 sport star at Humboldt High School to working through the dark days of the Dan McCarney era. Harklau has never stopped chasing down experiences in and around sports. Today he is still very involved with the Iowa State Cyclones and gets to stay about as close to the game as you can get.
The underdog podcast needed to sit down with the underdog guy. Tyler O’Shea is a kindred spirit for the Moonlighters out there. O’Shea is researching, writing, and podcasting as he builds his own underdog story with Jokermag.com. Tyler O’Shea has built an incredible underdog storytelling machine. Now, he joins us at the Moonlight Show to break down his top 5 underdog stories from 2022. His list spans the USFL to the NFL and FedEx to the MLB. Tyler O’Shea and Joker Mag know their underdogs, and he came to share.
In an age of sport specialization, the multi-sport athlete is more fascinating than ever. In this week's episode, Tim and Neil discuss the best dual-sport athletes of their lifetimes.
Season 14 of The Moonlight Graham Show is here!