The Funny 115's Mario Lanza on Survivor, baseball, Edgar Martinez's Hall of Fame induction

Updated: Aug 13, 2021

Mario Lanza, creator of The Funny 115, author of When It Was Worth Playing For: My Experiences Writing About the TV Show "Survivor, and host of the podcasts, Staff Picks and The Survivor Historian Podcasts, visits the Jack Vita Show to talk with Jack about a number of polarizing hot button topics pertaining to the game of baseball and the sport's future, such as stadium netting, pace of play, 'juiced' baseballs, "robo-umps", and more. Mario is a diehard Seattle Mariners fan, so naturally he has a lot of thoughts on his team's season up to this point, as well as the enshrinement of Edgar Martinez into the National Baseball Hall of Fame over the weekend.

Jack asks the question: do designated hitters belong in the Hall of Fame? Of course, Mario has a strong argument in favor of DH's. Jack argues that if DH's are included in the Hall, great hitters shouldn't be kept out of the Hall for lackluster defense.

Check out former Survivor contestants on the Jack Vita Show:

1) Survivor: China contestant Leslie Nease on her Christian faith and reality TV (October 28, 2019)

2) Jonny Fairplay talks "dead grandma" lie, faith, and life after 'Survivor' (February 18. 2020)

3) 'Survivor' Contestant Reem Daly on the 'Edge of Extinction', 'Winners at War', and social distancing (April 6, 2020)

4) Former 'Survivor' contestant Albert Destrade previews ALCS, NLCS (October 12, 2020)

5) 'Survivor's Jay Starrett on 'The Challenge' 36, 'Survivor' 33 (February 13, 2020)

6) What if 18 MLB players competed on 'Survivor'? (Feat. Albert Destrade, 'Survivor: South Pacific') (February 20, 2021)

7) 2021 MLB preview: Survivor's Albert Destrade previews the NL East (March 25, 2021)

8) Survivor: South Pacific's Albert Destrade talks Braves, Cubs, MLB trade deadline, injuries (August 4, 2021)

Follow me on Twitter @JackVitaShow, and subscribe to the Jack Vita Show on iTunes or wherever podcasts are found.

(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)