The 90’s Home Run Kings: When the Crack of a Bat Still Meant Something

“From Ken Griffey Jr.’s smooth swing to backyard Wiffle ball showdowns, the ‘90s Home Run Kings defined a generation. CommonX looks back at the era when baseball was pure, personal, and played for love of the game — with a nod to Franklin Sports, the gear that started it all.”

There was a time when baseball wasn’t about algorithms, launch angles, or exit velocity — it was about swagger. About flipping on the TV, hearing that crowd swell, and seeing a man step into the box with nothing but pine tar, determination, and a dream.

The 1990s gave us an era of pure magic. You could walk into any backyard in America and hear kids calling out names — McGwire, Sosa, Griffey Jr. — before swinging at tennis balls with a cracked aluminum bat. The Home Run Chase of ’98 might’ve been the headline, but for those of us here in the Pacific Northwest, Ken Griffey Jr. was our guy. The smoothest swing the game has ever seen. He didn’t need the hype or the headlines — he had that effortless smile, the backwards cap, and a natural rhythm that made every home run look like poetry.

Griffey wasn’t just a player — he was a cultural landmark. In the PNW, he turned baseball into an art form, and for a generation of Gen-Xers, he became the symbol of what made the 90s real. The game wasn’t filtered, sponsored, or over-analyzed. It was grit, heart, and the smell of dust on a summer evening.

And every one of us had our own backyard version of that dream — a glove that never quite broke in, a bat we swore was lucky, and a Franklin ball set that somehow survived a hundred neighborhood games. It was the golden age of backyard baseball — before smartphones, before streams, before anyone said “content.”

That’s why we’re throwing it back today — to remember the kings who made the 90s unforgettable and to celebrate the gear that helped build those memories.

The Legacy Lives On

We didn’t grow up chasing algorithms or comparing exit velocity; we grew up chasing fly balls until the sun dipped behind the neighborhood trees. Those summer nights were the real highlight reels — dirty hands, busted knuckles, and that one friend who could launch a plastic ball clear over the fence like he was Sosa.

But for those of us who came up in the Pacific Northwest, one name still echoes louder than all the rest — Ken Griffey Jr. He wasn’t just a player, he was the soundtrack to our summers. That swing was pure rhythm, that backwards cap pure rebellion. Griffey taught an entire generation that cool didn’t mean trying too hard — it meant being yourself, and letting the work speak louder than the hype.

Today, when you pull on a glove or toss a ball to your kids in the yard, you’re not just passing time — you’re passing down a piece of that era. It’s more than nostalgia; it’s legacy. And whether you’re dusting off your old mitt or starting fresh with new gear, Franklin Sports is still out there — same logo, same spirit, same connection to the game we grew up loving.

👉 Check out Franklin Sports gear here — because the only thing better than remembering the 90s is reliving them with your own crew.

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CommonX: The Modern-Day Rolling Stone Meets MTV

CommonX Podcast is redefining what modern Gen-X media sounds like. Blending the raw storytelling of Rolling Stone with the cultural punch of MTV and VH1, hosts Ian Primmer and Jared Mayzak bring legendary guests like Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot), Ivan Doroschuk (Men Without Hats), Steve Thoma (Fleetwood Mac, Glenn Frey), Richard Oshen (Aerosmith, The Who), and Chris Ballew (Presidents of the USA) together for real, unfiltered conversations that prove authenticity never goes out of style.

The Revival of Real Culture

Before the era of algorithms and influencers, there were storytellers who shaped the world — Rolling Stone, MTV, VH1. They didn’t just cover culture; they created it.

That same energy lives again through CommonX Podcast, the creation of Ian Primmer and Jared Mayzak — two voices from the Gen-X era who saw a gap in the modern media landscape and decided to fill it with something real. CommonX isn’t clickbait. It’s conversation — honest, human, and often hilariously off-script.

From the Garage to the Global Stage

Born from late-night conversations and the grind of true independent creators, CommonX began as a passion project. Now it’s a growing cultural hub where rock legends, thinkers, and creators meet to tell their stories the way they want them told.

What started as two mics and a vision has turned into a time capsule for the Gen-X soul — one that’s both a tribute and a rebellion.

Where Legends Still Have a Voice

From Rudy Sarzo, bassist for Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne, to Ivan Doroschuk of Men Without Hats, CommonX has become a home for the voices that defined the 80s and 90s — and still define rock authenticity today. The lineup doesn’t stop there.

  • Steve Thoma, who’s shared stages with Fleetwood Mac and Glenn Frey of The Eagles, brought stories that could fill a dozen behind-the-scenes documentaries.

  • Richard Oshen, the legendary lighting designer who worked with The Who and Aerosmith, offered an inside look at what it took to light up the biggest tours in rock history.

  • And Chris Ballew, frontman of The Presidents of the United States of America, reminded us that creativity doesn’t fade with time — it just evolves.

Each guest represents a chapter in the soundtrack of Gen-X, and together, they give CommonX its heartbeat.

Rolling Stone Spirit, MTV Energy

CommonX feels like flipping through an old Rolling Stone issue while a VJ queues up your favorite 90s video on MTV. It’s nostalgic without being stuck in the past — a blend of classic storytelling and digital energy that captures both the grit and glory of growing up Gen-X.

The interviews run deep. The laughs are real. And the moments feel like you’re sitting backstage with people who actually lived it.

Why It Matters Now

In a world of short attention spans and cookie-cutter media, CommonX stands apart as a space where authenticity still leads. It’s part cultural reflection, part rebellion — a reminder that Gen-X isn’t done influencing the world; it’s just doing it in a different format.

Every episode adds another piece to the digital legacy of Gen-X: the artists, the thinkers, the musicians, the misfits — all connected by that same instinct to tell it like it is.

CommonX isn’t nostalgia. It’s relevance rediscovered. If Rolling Stone had a podcast baby with MTV, it would sound a lot like this.

🎧 Listen now at commonxpodcast.com and join the modern Gen-X revolution where legends meet the new generation.

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Two Voices, One Frequency: How CommonX Reached 25 Countries

From a small town in Washington to speakers and screens in 25 countries, the CommonX Podcast with Jared & Ian is proving that real talk, laughter, and Gen-X honesty travel farther than anyone expected.

From a small town in Washington to speakers and screens in 25 countries, the CommonX Podcast with Jared & Ian is proving that real talk, laughter, and Gen-X honesty travel farther than anyone expected.

When we started CommonX, the dream was simple — to talk about the world the way we saw it. Two Gen-X friends from Deer Park, Washington, microphones in hand, hoping maybe a few people would listen.

Now, that little idea has crossed oceans. Listeners are tuning in from the United States, Canada, Romania, Peru, France, Turkey, Kenya, Colombia, China, South Korea, Guyana, Venezuela, Bahrain, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, the Philippines, Russia, the United Kingdom, Spain, and India.

That’s twenty-five countries. That’s a lot of shared stories, laughs, and moments that connect us all.

It turns out, no matter where you live, the feeling of being part of Generation X — that mix of independence, skepticism, humor, and heart — hits home everywhere.

So here’s to the listeners. To everyone out there on night shifts, in traffic, on treadmills, or sitting in silence with earbuds in — thank you for letting us be part of your world.

We may be two middle-aged guys from a small town, but together with all of you, we’re building something global, one honest conversation at a time.

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Chris Ballew & Beck — When Weirdness Changed the World

Before the hits, Chris Ballew and Beck were friends exploring sound and freedom. Their playful experiments helped shape the 90s alternative rock landscape — and their creative bond still echoes through every note.

Real Talk. Common Ground.

Before stadium crowds sang Peaches and Lump, before Loser became an anthem for every art-school kid who never quite fit in, Chris Ballew and Beck Hansen were just two friends chasing sound in tiny rehearsal rooms.

In the early ’90s they shared basements, cheap tape decks, and a belief that rules were for other people. Beck was experimenting with folk-hip-hop collage; Ballew was testing what could happen if you cut half the strings off a bass. Out of that chaos came a friendship built on curiosity and humor—two kindred spirits learning that imperfection could be its own kind of perfection.

When Beck’s star began to rise, Ballew kept following the same muse back home in Seattle, forming The Presidents of the United States of America. The band’s stripped-down punch felt like a cousin to Beck’s collage pop: witty, raw, and fearless. Together they helped turn “alternative rock” from a label into a language—a space where experimentation, fun, and sincerity could all live in the same three-minute song.

“Playing with Beck reminded me that music is a sandbox, not a science,” Ballew told CommonX. “Every sound you make should surprise you a little.”

A Friendship That Still Resonates

Even decades later, you can hear echoes of those jam-session nights in everything Chris touches—whether it’s the joyful minimalism of the Presidents, his kids-music alter ego Caspar Babypants, or his new solo tracks recorded in his home studio.

That friendship with Beck wasn’t just a chapter; it was a spark that showed both artists how far pure play could go.

🔗 Hear the Conversation

Catch our full talk with Chris Ballew on The CommonX Podcast—streaming now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

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🧩 The Algorithm That Ate Rock ’n’ RollFiled under the X by Jared & Ian | Curb Fail Productions™

🎸 When the Beat Went Digital

Once upon a mixtape, we ruled the airwaves. We made playlists with pencils, burned CDs in real time, and hunted for B-sides in dusty bins. Then came the algorithm—a silent DJ with no soul but unlimited data.

It promised to “learn our taste.” Instead, it learned what keeps us scrolling.

📲 From Counterculture to Calculated Culture

Rock used to break rules. Now, playlists break metrics.
Every chorus is shorter, intros vanish, and hooks hit by second 11 because that’s when TikTok users start swiping. Labels don’t ask, “Does it move people?” They ask, “Does it trend?”

The garage band became a content brand. The anthem became an “asset.”
We didn’t sell out—the system bought us wholesale.

🧠 The Data Knows You Better Than You Do

Streaming platforms read mood swings like psychologists on caffeine.
Play three breakup songs, and they’ll drown you in melancholy until you forget what silence sounds like.

The algorithm isn’t evil—it’s efficient. But efficiency kills surprise. When everything’s predicted, nothing feels dangerous, and rock was born in danger.

⚡ Can the Spirit Survive?

Rock never dies; it mutates. The same Gen-X grit that survived dial-up is now hiding in garage livestreams, indie podcasts, and vinyl resurrections. The algorithm can mimic rhythm, but it can’t fake heart.

Maybe the next rebellion isn’t distortion through an amp—it’s authenticity through the noise.

🧭 The CommonX Frequency

We talk about this every week—real voices cutting through the static. Tune in, share the stories, and keep that analog soul alive inside the digital machine.

🎙️ Listen to the full CommonX Podcast on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you still believe in rock ’n’ roll.

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