Send us Fan Mail

Park Bench Perspective: First Albums, Concert Memories, and Music Discovery

Carlos Figueroa and Mike Hammer discuss music from their “park bench” perspective while joking about Carlos’s recent knee surgery and lack of musical talent. They reminisce about early records and where they bought them (Shopper City, Down in the Valley), including first albums like The Who’s Tommy, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Sean Cassidy, and Saturday Night Fever, and talk about influences such as an older sister and radio. They cover favorite artists and genres spanning the Rolling Stones, Doors, Led Zeppelin, REO Speedwagon, Queen, Prince, punk (Ramones, Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop), and rap, and recall concerts and ticket-buying experiences including Paul McCartney, Neil Young (with the Shocking Pinks), Devo, George Strait, and Paul Simon/Bob Dylan. They briefly detour into early cable TV and music video channels, plug Foot Pain Authority insoles and Hammer’s Substack, and invite St. Louis Park musicians to join future episodes.

00:00 Park Bench Intro
00:32 Knee Surgery Catchup
01:06 Why Music Matters
02:24 First Albums Debate
05:05 Early Influences Stories
07:44 Guilty Pleasures And Queen
09:27 Punk Rap Country Mix
11:01 Concert Memories McCartney
12:50 All Night For Neil Young
14:19 Neil Young Breaks The Rules
15:21 Tailgate Heat and Chaos
16:11 Neil Young Live Memories
17:02 Kidhood Movie and Music Discovery
17:39 Hunting Punk Imports
18:34 Old School TV Tech
21:15 Cable Hacks and Early Videos
23:24 Prince and MTV Era
24:27 Albums and Genre Detours
26:39 First Concerts and New Venues
28:47 Adult Shows and War Stories
29:19 Sponsor Plug and Substack
30:44 More Music Ahead Closing

Send us Fan Mail

On this episode of Park Bench Perspectives, Mike Hammer and Carlos kick off spring by talking baseball—how T-ball and Little League shaped their Minnesota childhoods, expanded their friendships and rivalries, and later became a bond through their own kids. They reminisce about the Twins as a constant “soundtrack to life” on WCCO, old players and eras, and the appeal of small-ball fundamentals like bunting, stealing, and hit-and-run. They share stories about curveballs, pitching machines (“Juggs”), town ball traditions, and a Little League moment when Mike was told to pitch inside and hit a batter. The conversation also touches on MLB’s financial imbalance, fears of a future work stoppage, and a plug for FootPainAuthority.com plus Mike’s Substack and Carlos’s in-progress novel.

00:00 Bench Intro Theme
00:50 Show Welcome Banter
01:08 Future Topics Tease
01:48 Spring Means Baseball
02:04 T-Ball Childhood Days
03:33 Girls In The Game
04:23 Twins Return And Fears
05:31 Town Ball Tradition
07:07 Twins Memories And Voices
09:51 Stealing Home And Small Ball
13:15 Cheating And Pitch Guessing
16:01 Curveball Shock Story
17:24 Pitching Machines And Fungo
19:45 Beanball Confession Setup
20:20 Little League Hit Batter
22:20 Baseball Radio Memories
22:45 Why Baseball Works
24:54 Pitch Clock Debate
26:16 Seat Upgrading Game
28:18 Dodgers Money Problem
30:27 Beep Baseball Origins
34:33 Backyard Baseball Days
37:22 Sponsors And Signoff

Send us Fan Mail

Park Bench Perspectives: Growing Up in a Smaller World

First off Mike Hammer and Carlos Figueroa really appreciate all the great feedback. We recorded this episode before receiving comments but rest assured SLP Food Part 2 is on the agenda for next week.

Park Bench Perspectives, as two longtime friends chatting on a virtual park bench about their lives, the St. Louis Park, Minnesota community they grew up in, and current events. They discuss how friendships can resume effortlessly after years and reflect on how their childhood world felt geographically small, expanding through bikes, sports, and later broader social circles, contrasting that with how the internet expands kids’ worlds today. They reminisce about the Eliot neighborhood and Eliot Elementary, teachers and school memories, hiding chocolate milk, and sports and biking adventures, including Evel Knievel-inspired jumps. They recall anxiety about mixed-grade “Team Room,” Eliot’s closure, being merged with rival Cedar Manor, and resulting friendships. They touch on social anxiety, learning about people through conversation, bar-industry dynamics around “freebies,” and invite viewers to comment and join the community.

00:00 Theme Song Intro

00:39 Welcome to the Bench

01:02 Why the Bench Matters

01:33 Old Friends Chemistry

03:02 Growing Up Pre Internet

03:45 Eliot Neighborhood Boundaries

04:33 Sports and Skating Days

05:47 Bikes and Dirt Jumps

07:20 Eliot School Memories

07:38 Chocolate Milk Heist

09:57 Name Stories and Chuck Norris

11:27 Teachers and Team Room Anxiety

13:23 Childhood Crush Memories

13:33 School Closure Shock

14:05 Rival Schools Merge

15:58 Classroom Chaos Stories

17:18 Friendships Over Time

18:16 Small Talk And Anxiety

20:18 Avon Collectibles Tangent

21:08 Bar Friends And Freebies

23:39 Growing Up And High School

24:05 Community Call And Signoff

Sponsors

Foot Pain Authority

If your feet are barking louder than your opinions, check out Foot Pain Authority for insoles and relief. Mention that you “heard about it on the bench.”

https://www.footpainauthority.com

From Carlos

Carlos also shares an update on his upcoming psychological thriller, The Ghost of Lake Osakis, andI write essays on my Substack about institutions, technology, and change. https://substack.com/@carlosmfigueroa

Join the conversation

What St. Louis Park restaurant do you remember most? Drop a comment and tell us which places still live rent-free in your memory.

Send us Fan Mail

Fan Feedback, St. Louis Park Food Memories, and Pig Roast Stories

Mike Hammer and Carlos Figueroa open the episode by reading early listener feedback, including a Minneapolis commenter questioning whether Hammer is the real 1984 graduate, which they clarify by distinguishing him from an older Mike Hamer. They discuss how suggestions are expanding their focus beyond their childhood neighborhood and recall St. Louis Park-area staples such as Beaks Pizza (including an all-you-can-eat contest and a late-night cash-register robbery), Lincoln Dell deli, Schlotzky’s, My Pie, Clark’s submarine sandwich, and the McDonald’s by the high school during open campus and smoking-era rules. They share stories about skipping school to make pizza, Rocky Rococo’s heart-shaped pizza while watching Luke and Laura’s wedding, Carlos’s family pig roasts and an epic joint graduation party, plus the Lions Club pancake breakfast and paper route memories. Carlos plugs his Substack and a baseball-law feature, “The Ballpark Barrister.”

00:00 Show Intro and Tease
00:18 Theme Song and Greetings
00:54 Fan Mail and Feedback
01:10 The Mike Hammer Mystery
02:22 Listener Ideas and Expanding Town
03:41 Beaks Pizza Memories
04:47 Pizza Contest with Joe
05:50 Beaks Robbery Story
07:02 Lincoln Del Deli Love
08:41 More Local Eats Roundup
09:14 McDonalds Open Campus Days
10:32 Skipping School for Pizza
11:45 Homemade Crust Hacks
12:03 Open Campus Pizza Runs
12:41 McDonalds and Cafeteria Classics
14:11 Rocky Rococos Memories
16:11 Pig Roast Block Party
18:28 Graduation Party Chaos
20:04 Lions Club Breakfast Talk
21:15 Bennigans and Paper Route Donuts
22:55 Substack Plug and Sign Off

Sponsors

Foot Pain Authority

If your feet are barking louder than your opinions, check out Foot Pain Authority for insoles and relief. Mention that you “heard about it on the bench.”

https://www.footpainauthority.com

From Carlos Figueroa

Carlos also shares an update on his upcoming psychological thriller, The Ghost of Lake Osakis, andI write essays on my Substack about institutions, technology, and change. https://systemsunderpressure.substack.com/s/the-ballpark-barrister

Join the conversation

What St. Louis Park restaurant do you remember most? Drop a comment and tell us which places still live rent-free in your memory.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode

• Minnesota March weather and the false promise of spring
• Why baseball and spring were inseparable growing up
• Meeting before kindergarten at Elliott Elementary
• Little League, Cub League, Babe Ruth, and neighborhood baseball memories
• Kite flying across from Elliott and the legend of razor-blade kite wars
• Opening Day rituals, stirrups, and looking right in a baseball uniform
• St. Louis Park restaurant memories, including:
• Shakey’s Pizza
• Yangtze Restaurant
• David Woo’s
• Perkins
• Embers
• Mr. Steak
• Jolly Troll
• Bridgeman’s
• Farrell’s
• Carriage House, bowling, pinball, and Saturday hot dogs
• How food places become part of a town’s identity
• Listener callout: favorite St. Louis Park restaurants, past or present
• Sponsor mentions and Carlos’s upcoming novel, The Ghost of Lake Osakis

Notable moments

• Mike and Carlos realizing they forgot to actually introduce themselves
• The case for proper baseball stirrup height, argued like it’s constitutional law
• A wonderfully chaotic detour from restaurants into MSG, hot dogs, and marijuana policy
• The reminder that old neighborhood places were never just businesses—they were landmarks in people’s lives

Mentioned in this episode

• Elliott Elementary
• St. Louis Park baseball
• Sols
• Koch’s Sporting Goods
• Shakey’s Pizza
• Yangtze Restaurant
• David Woo
• Perkins
• Embers
• Mr. Steak
• Jolly Troll
• Bridgeman’s
• Farrell’s
• Carriage House
• Foot Pain Authority
• The Ghost of Lake Osakis by Carlos Figueroa

Sponsors

Foot Pain Authority

If your feet are barking louder than your opinions, check out Foot Pain Authority for insoles and relief. Mention that you “heard about it on the bench.”

https://www.footpainauthority.com

From Carlos

Carlos also shares an update on his upcoming psychological thriller, The Ghost of Lake Osakis, and talks briefly about his Substack writing on institutions, technology, and change.

Join the conversation

What St. Louis Park restaurant do you remember most? Drop a comment and tell us which places still live rent-free in your memory.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Park Bench Perspective: Old Friends, St. Louis Park, and Making Sense of the World

Carlos Figueroa and Mike Hammer introduce their show, “Park Bench Perspective,” describing it as a thoughtful conversation between two lifelong friends rather than a hot-take format, starting with memories of growing up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. They discuss the town’s sense of community, diversity, and how people were judged by character, while noting how memory is reconstructed rather than replayed. They share nostalgic examples from childhood media and parenting perspectives, and reject simplistic “generation wars” and horoscopes. The hosts begin a “Mount Rushmore of St. Louis Park,” naming Sol from Sol’s Superette, Lyle Hanks, the Coen brothers, Mark Rosen, Al Beugen, and Carlos’s father as influential figures. They close by introducing their current work: Carlos in law, Substack writing, and a novel, and Mike in construction/handyman work, insoles/foot care, a home maintenance guide, and a product-authentication project, plus family details.

00:00 Welcome to the Bench

00:58 Meet the Hosts

01:22 Growing Up St Louis Park

02:25 Friendship and Community

03:45 Nostalgia and Time Travel

04:35 How Memory Rewrites

05:50 Simpler Times Then

06:58 Beyond Generation Wars

08:14 Earliest Childhood Memories

10:06 Mount Rushmore of SLP

15:01 Mentors and Coaches

17:29 Neighborhood Watch and Lessons

19:29 Who We Are Today

20:49 Insoles and Side Hustles

22:58 Wrap Up and Sign Off

You can find Carlos Figueroa's writing at systemsunderpressure.substack.com

Check out Mike Hammer’s massaging insoles at https://www.footpainauthority.com