HSBN Moves Into New Era With Yard Talk Show

Yard Talk with Rich & Ernie Pilot Episode

In what usually is the busiest time of year here at HSBN, we have found ourselves brainstorming new ideas for the future. Today, we unveil what some of that future looks like.

HSBN is launching its video programming arm on its HSBN Live! YouTube Channel. In the coming months, and moving forward into the years ahead, HSBN will be developing many different weekly shows, showcasing high school baseball personalities from around the state and country.

Coaches, umpires, recruiters, college players and coaches, and most of all, high school players, will be showcased, whether it be for their performance on the field, or their personalities off the diamond.

“With everything that has happened since the virus outbreak, we have been brainstorming ways we can take HSBN and high school baseball to the next level,” said HSBN Vice-President Anthony Uttariello. “We already have an amazing web presence, and with our programming being second to none, we continue to develop that end of HSBN. So we wanted to compliment our stat and article presence, by spotlighting some personalities, and bringing something different and fun to the community, and we think we have some exciting surprises in store for the coming months.”

This week alone, we will be bringing back our Sunday Morning Chat feature, when we chat with Taravella Manager Joe Giummule. The Trojans skipper has some interesting perspective on time since COVID19 brought the baseball season to a screeching halt. Giummule will be speaking with us from the hospital, where his wife Nicole just gave birth to the couple’s first child.

St. Thomas Manager Jorge Perez has a message for coaches and parents, watch the clip here.

Additionally, HSBN is working on a three-part series, taking a look at the Archbishop McCarthy dynasty. The first part will look at the inner workings of a program that dominated baseball in the state for nearly a decade. The second episode will focus on rival teams and players of the Mavericks, and the final episode will take us through the final season of that historic run.

So today, we launch our programming pilot, Yard Talk, with Rich and Ernie. The co-hosts, Keys Gate Charter Manager Rich Benavides, and Coral Gables Manager Ernie Padron, plan on hitting some often-discussed topics to light, and have a slew of special guests to help them discuss the various topics.

“HSBN provides a tremendous informational outlet to the entire high school baseball community,” said Benavides. “Yard Talk is something I had in my mind before the season began. Honestly, I was looking for the perfect co-host, and I found him at an epic pregame plate meeting the first week of the season. The show was inspired by HSBN’s success in uniting a community, and Ernie and I thought this show was a perfect way to continue the HSBN efforts.”

Padron, who is being counted on to provide some comic relief in the show, showed his role when asked about the new show.

“This is Rich’s idea, I am just along for the ride,” said Padron. “I was bored with no baseball talk, so this is filling the void and helping us keep some sense of sanity.”

While the show may be entertaining, there will also be plenty of valuable information in the content. Take this first episode as an example. With parents, coaches, and players, all wondering what will happen to seniors with college baseball scholarships in limbo, and the reduction of the MLB Draft to five rounds. Benavides and Padron lined up some of the top college coaches in Florida to educate the public on the current situation.

Lynn Manager Rudy Garbalosa, Barry Manager Juan Ranero, St. Thomas Manager Jorge Perez, Eastern Florida Manager Jason Arnold, and Hillsboro College Manager Billy Colome all were on the pilot show, and provided invaluable perspective and advice for the high school community.

The pilot show is now up, and you can watch by following the link above. Future airings will be every Thursday on HSBN Live!, and check back on the sites daily for updated programming info. Stay safe, and we hope you enjoy us bringing some baseball talk into your living rooms while we can’t be out on the fields.

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