Advertise on podcast: All Rise Boston with Diane Godfrey

Have you ever wondered whose brainchild it was while you’re sitting watching a fabulous TV show or enjoying a news website? If so, this episode is for you. It was a privilege to chat with Phil Balboni recently. His pioneering contributions to broadcast and cable TV are extraordinary. A former vice president and news director of WCVB-TV Boston (Channel 5), he created and launched “Chronicle” a nightly news magazine, making it a staple of local journalism for over forty years. He has had his fingers in all facets of the news and broadcasting industry for years, including notable projects such as New England Cable News (NECN) and the subscription-based Daily Chatter newsletter, which showcases his versatility and influence. He’s a Vietnam vet, and beyond his achievements, his service strengthens his reputation as dependable, inspiring respect and admiration among the audience.

I recently caught up with Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer Bill Lee at the West Newton Theatre in West Newton, Mass., where he promoted the independent baseball film, Eephus, in which he stars as himself.     Lee, a left-handed pitcher, is famous for developing the Leephus pitch, a variety of the Eephus pitch.  He used the Leephus pitch in the 1975 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, which many consider the best match-up ever.     Lee was on the roster for ten years with the Red Sox and later with the Montreal Expos.  It was clear to me he never tires of the game.  He still plays on various teams, including the lively exhibition team, the Savannah Bananas.   Although Bill Lee IS baseball, he is so much more.  He makes maple syrup and logs wood on his New England farm, which is manufactured into professional baseball bats in a factory in Massachusetts.     I found him witty, engaging, and relentlessly kind.  He told me he regularly goes around Vermont picking up trash off the ground.  He is one with Mother Earth.     Meeting with Lee was a fun way to spend a lazy Sunday morning.  I am honored to present to you this conversation with Bill Lee.

I caught up recently with Carson Lund, the director and co-writer of the independent film Eephus, and a New England native who grew up in New Hampshire.  Carson, a cinematographer and film editor, holds a BA in Film Production from Emerson College in Boston.  In an impromptu chat at the Dedham Community Theatre in Dedham, Massachusetts, I quickly learned that an “eephus” is a pitch rarely used in baseball but carries a significant metaphorical meaning in the 98-minute film.  Eephus is Lund’s first major film project; it premiered in 2024 at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, a testament to its high-quality emotional impact.  The film was released in the United States on March 7th, 2025. Set in the 1990s, Eephus is a comedy-drama about an amateur New England baseball league in a small town in central Massachusetts (it was filmed at Soldier Field in Douglas, MA).  The Adler’s Paint baseball team faces the Riverdogs in one last game before their ballfield is demolished to make room for a new school.  The film stars Keith William Richards (“Phil” in the 2019’s Uncut Gems) in his first lead role.  Boston Red Sox pitching legend Bill “Spaceman” Lee appears as Lee. Eephus has garnered rave reviews:  100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 83 on Metacritic, and 7.9 on IMDB.com.  You don’t need to be a baseball fan to love this cinematic gem, as the real star of the film is the nostalgic and humorous portrayal of an essential part of small-town life in bygone New England.

Sam LaGrassa’s Deli, situated just off the Freedom Trail, is an excellent spot to refuel during your walking tour of Boston.  Since 1968, this family-operated sandwich mecca has been piling the meats high.  Hats off to the Rumanian pastrami & Swiss on light rye.  Honorable mention to the pickles.  Sure, LaGrassa’s swarms with locals at lunchtime so you know it’s good, but don’t be put off – the line moves quickly. Each sandwich can easily feed to adult appetites.  Leave room for the 7-layer bar for dessert.  Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available.  It’s pricey but worth it!  Open Monday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Closed on weekends.  Parking:  Forget about it.

Creative podcasters welcome the chance to spread their wings and try something new. After a very successful series of “true crime” podcasts, Diane Godfrey is now pursuing her passion for sharing stories about the people, places and things she loves about her fair City of Boston. We talk about the adventure Diane is about to begin which will have her out and about at local restaurants, cultural landmarks and interviewing fascinating people, including celebrities, who make Boston what it is, “The Hub of the Universe.” You’re invited to come along for the ride!

We’re going “off road” to talk again with the writer Joseph P. O’Donnell. He is the author of the successful 2022 memoir of E. Steven Sachs, “Living On the Fringe of the Mob”, which we talked about on February 5, 2023. Joseph’s latest project was to put down on paper the gripping true story told to him by Daniel Kolmann, a gifted young athlete born in 1948 in Communist-occupied Czechoslovakia. Daniel was removed from his family at age twelve and forced to live in a Russian-controlled sports camp where he was trained for six hours a day, seven days a week to be a soccer star, and allowed to see his parents only once a month. As Daniel grew up, his yearning for freedom led to a nail-biting, death-defying escape. Daniel told his exciting life story to Joseph, who captured it in “ Run for My Life”, published this past February. We will talk with Joseph about his craft and about the crimes of the Communist regime that trampled over human rights with impunity.

The fascinating and fearless best-selling author Jillian Lauren joins me to discuss her upcoming true-crime book, Behold the Monster: Confronting America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer (due out July 18, 2023). Before Samuel Little died in 2020, he confessed to having murdered 93 people, mostly women, between 1970 and 2005. Jillian was determined to give a voice many of his victims and so fostered a personal relationship with him to get material for this book. She is a candid and engaging guest. I first encountered Jillian by viewing her 2014 TEDx talk on adoption and was immediately hooked. Jillian is also the author of Everything You Ever Wanted, Pretty, and my personal favorite, Some Girls: My Life Inside a Harem, where she recounts her time in a harem as the girlfriend of the brother of the Sultan of Brunei. Jillian is married to Weezer bassist Scott Shriner. They live in Los Angeles with two adopted sons, one from Ethiopia and one from a foster-to-adopt program. F-Bomb Warning: this episode contains expletives but we decided to keep them in the final cut as they are true to Jillian’s expressive delivery.

Meet Bill Powers, the Retired Massachusetts State Police commander of the Detective Unit for Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Bill guides us through every step of a truly bizarre murder investigation he recounts in his book, When the Smoke Cleared, A Murder Mystery in Malden Massachusetts. Powers and his colleagues knew someone had been murdered, but who? Where was the body? Who are the suspects? What was the motive? And where was the murder weapon? Against all odds, Powers and his team put the puzzle together to bring justice for the July, 2000, brutal murder of teenage runaway Kelly Hancock and her family in Malden, MA.

Bonanno. Gambino. Colombo. Anyone familiar with the New York Mafia from the 1960s until the early 2000s will instantly recognize those notorious names. E. Steven Sachs was the lone Jewish kid growing up in a rough-and-tumble Brooklyn neighborhood in the 1960s among neighbors and playmates who would become members of the NY organized crime families. Steve gives us the reality, not the romanticized Hollywood version, of being an outsider who nonetheless was intimately acquainted with and forged lifelong friendships with many New York mobsters. The bedrock principles of these friendships were loyalty and trust, principles which Steve never broke. He was never asked to do anything illegal, nor did he ever commit any crime. He flourished in the meat packing industry for many years and at 82 years old decided to recount his riveting true story. He reached out to Joe O’Donnell, a writer whose book Deadly Codes was the basis for the star character, Gallagher, in the 2018 movie “Bent”. The result of their collaboration is the 2022 book, “Living on the Fringe of the Mob.” Listen in as Joe and Steve tell us how they got together to create this sensational mob tell-all and what it was really like to live on the periphery of the mob.

The Power of Crowds: Bob Ruff’s Truth & Justice Podcast Bob Ruff hosts Truth & Justice, the popular crowd-sourced podcast now in its twelfth season, where he and his followers seek truth and justice for the wrongly convicted. Each season Bob asks his listeners to help him work on a new case of a potential wrongful conviction. They comb through the details in real time, hoping to discover a new angle or to re-interpret piece of evidence that the initial investigation may have missed or got wrong. Bob is adept at bringing to light new facts that just don’t add up. Although Bob has no formal law enforcement training, he’s all in. He’s a former fire chief and arson investigator who quit his job to devote all his working hours to this podcast and to Crime Binge, a second podcast where he interviews up-and-coming true crime podcasters. Bob created Crime Binge because he believes there’s plenty of room at the table for everybody in the competitive genre of true crime podcasts and isn’t seeking to hog the limelight. In 2018 he appeared on ABC’s award-winning newsmagazine “20/20” to discuss Sandy Melgar’s controversial conviction in Texas for killing her husband. He also appeared in 2020 in a four-part docuseries on the Oxygen channel entitled “The Forgotten West Memphis Three” which addressed a notorious cold case, the 1993 murders of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. Listen in as Bob explains to Diane and Jordan how he conducts these investigations and what drove him to enter the world of true-crime podcasts.

The Honorable Thomas A. Connors was appointed to the Massachusetts District Court by Governor William Weld in 1995. In 2004 he was appointed to the Superior Court Bench of Massachusetts by Governor Mitt Romney. As an attorney, he had built an impressive career in a solo practice that handled everything from real estate closings to … Continue reading From the Bench: A Talk with Judge Thomas Connors →

A 50-year-old East Boston woman was the mastermind behind a human trafficking operation that forced women into prostitution in Massachusetts. Ramona Hernandez and her husband, Rafael Henriquez, earned the dubious distinction of being the first individuals charged under the state’s new anti-trafficking law. The couple lured women into their net and then shipped them to … Continue reading “Delivered Like Pizza”: Sex Slaves in Massachusetts →

With all the grimness that occurs in a courthouse, it’s no wonder that sometimes comic relief is on the docket. Diane reveals to Jordan the lighter side of working in the halls of justice, including antics by court officers, a rogue lawyer’s “gymnastics”, odd encounters, and how a bit of levity can help employees cope … Continue reading Sometimes It Gets Nutty →

On February 5, 2015, a bitterly cold morning in the seaside town of Bourne, Massachusetts, a murder-suicide plan was set in motion. A 31-year old Coast Guard Petty Officer, Adrian Loya, armed with an assault rifle, a pistol, and a shotgun, had driven from Virginia to shoot his way into the condominium of a colleague, … Continue reading A Rape of the Mind →

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the USA Today bestselling author of 13 psychological thrillers, winning the most prestigious awards in the genre: five Agathas, four Anthonys, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also the on-air investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV, with 37 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors. Book critics call her “a … Continue reading Up Close: Boston’s Own Hank Phillippi Ryan, Journalist & Crime-Fiction Star →