Diamonds & Scribes — Episode 01
Paul Hagen: Inside Four Decades of Baseball Writing
Diamonds & Scribes is a limited-series podcast produced by the Philadelphia Baseball Review, exploring the craft of baseball journalism through conversations with the writers who shaped it. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the reporting, storytelling, habits, instincts, and hard-earned wisdom that define great baseball writing.
Hall of Fame baseball writer Paul Hagen has spent more than four decades living the life so many fans dream about: on the beat, in the press box, and inside clubhouses from Texas to Philadelphia. In this episode, he joins host Patrick Gordon for an unfiltered conversation about the craft behind the bylines — the real work that goes into great baseball journalism.
Hagen explains how a snarky high school gamer got him kicked off the football beat, what it felt like to walk into a major-league press box for the first time, and why the best writers do far more than just quote players. He dives into what he’s learned from handling criticism (from readers and players), why Lenny Dykstra was secretly one of the most media-savvy players of his era, and what actually defines “great baseball writing” in a world where everyone has a platform.
Along the way, Hagen discusses the fierce competitiveness of the Philadelphia beat, his 20+ years with the Philadelphia Daily News, the evolving dynamics inside MLB clubhouses, his favorite teams and toughest stories, and what it truly meant to receive the BBWAA’s Spink Award in Cooperstown.
For aspiring journalists, baseball die-hards, and anyone curious about how stories really get made, this is a masterclass — and proof that, as Hagen says, if you can cover a baseball beat, you can cover anything.
