This big league catcher was also a spy during World War II

Moe Berg was a big league catcher who became a big time spy during World War II. Filmmaker Aviva Kempner tells his story in a new documentary, and tells PodcastOne Sports Now that he was a mysterious character throughout his life.

Kempner joins co-hosts Jim Litke and Tim Dahlberg to talk about the remarkable story of the catcher, who played 15 years in the major leagues, the last five with the Boston Red Sox before his career ended in 1939. Berg, a Princeton and Columbia Law School graduate, spoke several languages and liked to read 10 newspapers a day, which set him apart from players during his time.

Berg would go on to join the Office of Special Services, the forerunner of the CIA, and traveled around Europe in 1944 trying to find out how far the Nazis had advanced in making an atomic bomb. At one point he had orders to shoot a top German physicist at a conference in Zurich if he found out Germany was close to getting the bomb.

The new documentary, “The Spy Behind Home Plate,” opens this month at film festivals and theaters.

Also joining the podcast to discuss the NBA playoffs is Brian Mahoney of the AP, who also has something to say about how Deontay Wilder’s right hand looked in his devastating knockout of Dominic Breazeale over the weekend. The co-hosts also discuss food, and answer the question of why modern tomatoes look so good but have no taste.