It's just three days until the baseball games start counting. That means the deadline for the annual Battery Mates Nation Preseason Predictions Contest is approaching fast. (That deadline is Wednesday, March, 31, at 9a ET). Here’s how to enter (it takes about a minute) — use your Voice Memo app to answer these six questions: 1. What's your name? 2. Who's your team? 3. How many games will your team win in 2021? 4. Will they make the postseason? 5. Which two teams will play in the World Series? 6....
Mar 29, 2021
With two weeks to go before Opening Day, Matthew and Toby are joined by Justin Barasky, celebrated fan of the Clevelands who spent 2020 taking back the Senate as a senior advisor at the DSCC. The horn is gone around on the Rangers’ plans to have a full house for their opener, Trevor Bauer’s latest exhausting behavior, the Clevelands’ name change, and the rule experiments coming to the minor leagues this season. Justin talks about trying to stump Senator Sherrod Brown in baseball trivia, credits ...
Mar 19, 2021
Matthew and Toby are joined by Faiz Shakir, chief political advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders and his 2020 presidential campaign manager. The ball gets whipped around the horn on the Tatis extension, the Mariners CEO’s remarks at a local rotary club, gambling’s creep into sports media, and the creep that is Mickey Callaway. Faiz shares stories from his days as the Harvard Crimson’s second baseman, his little league coaching strategies, and what it’s like to play on the literal Field of Dreams....
Mar 04, 2021
As pitchers and catchers report to spring training, Matthew and Toby launch Season Six with a visit from Mike Casca, Dodger fan and communications director for Sen. Bernie Sanders, for a wide-ranging discussion on MLB’s continued efforts to use the media to screw over the players in advance of the CBA expiring, juiced and unjuiced balls, the Dodgers’ payroll, and the Marlins’ plans to have 20% capacity crowds this season. Mike talks about why he doesn’t mention being a Dodgers fan around Bernie,...
Feb 18, 2021
Matthew and Toby get together for a wintry mix of conversations about Curt Schilling not getting enough votes, the Clevelands making Toby sad, other payroll-slashing owners, Rob Manfred’s latest gambits, Matthew’s new favorite baseball card, and where folks should and shouldn’t buy pillows.
Jan 31, 2021
Matthew and Toby catch up on news from the offseason, discuss the ways Rob Manfred keeps messing things up, and lay out what’s in their letters to Baseball Santa Claus.
Dec 24, 2020
Matthew and Toby do their best to remember the World Series, dive deep on Rob Manfred’s handling of the Justin Turner debacle, discuss what the offseason has in store, and reveal the anxiously awaited results of the 2020 Preseason Predictions Contest.
Nov 10, 2020
Matthew and Toby preview the World Series, if that’s what you want to call it, and make the case for the team everyone should root for. The Research Department pulls together some data on what this World Series could portend for the election, and way too much time is spent analyzing a Trump tweet about Fauci and his Nationals mask.
Oct 21, 2020
As the Championship Series get under way, Matthew and Toby check in on the Clevelands’ early exit, the aggravating Astros, and other reasons people aren’t all that jazzed about the 2020 playoffs.
Oct 13, 2020
Matthew and Toby meet for one last “regular” season check-in to discuss how our teams have fared and go Three Up, Three Down on the Cy Young Award going through Ohio, Sean Doolittle’s (maybe) final games with the Nats, the wonder that is Jose Ramirez, Washington getting another high draft pick, Joe West being awful (surprise!), and the only plausible way to get out of this dark timeline. And now that it’s confirmed that Jeff Gabriel was wrong about this season, the boys finally discuss expanded ...
Sep 27, 2020
Matthew and Toby touch base on the latest cases of COVID in the clubhouse, continued drama for the Clevelands, scams that involve Curt Schilling, and the final throes of baseball’s unwritten rules.
Aug 22, 2020
Matthew and Toby take a hard look at the Democratic ticket and the teams Joe and Kamala root for, and then go Three Up, Three Down on the A’s-Astros pandemic brawl, the Cleveland pitchers’ pandemic gall, incidents of maybe-accidental white supremacy, Tito’s TMI health issues, a troubling fantasy baseball pitcher profile, and criminal charges in Tyler Skaggs’ death.
Aug 13, 2020
Matthew and Toby record a special episode on the heels of some big breaking news: A second team has players test positive for COVID-19, and the best in the game goes on the paternity list.
Jul 31, 2020
Matthew and Toby get together for another bound-to-be-immediately-outdated chat about the new baseball season and try not to “get all political” about what the Marlins outbreak means for the entire enterprise.
Jul 27, 2020
It’s Opening Day! Matthew and Toby prepare for the first pitch of the 2020 MLB season and celebrate with the annual tradition of listening to YOUR Preseason Predictions. What a time to be alive!
Jul 23, 2020
Matthew and Toby touch base shortly before the abbreviated baseball season begins (and shortly before Matthew becomes a dad for the second time). Entries for the 2020 Preseason Prediction Contest are due by 3p ET on Wednesday, July 22nd. To enter, just fire up your Voice Memo app, and answer these six questions: 1. Who are you? 2. Who's your team? 3. How many games will your team win in 2020? 4. Will they make the postseason? 5. Which two teams will play in the World Series? 6. Which team will w...
Jul 20, 2020
Matthew and Toby discuss the apparent return of the baseball season, and all the ways it’ll be a weird one. But more excitingly, Matthew is joined by the Hon. Alex Norris MP—an actual real-life Member of Parliament representing the seat of Nottingham North who also happens to be a huge Orioles fan—for a Half-Hearted Attempt at Empathy.
Jun 26, 2020
Matthew and Toby are joined again by Kate Stayman-London for a long-awaited discussion of the enduring film Major League , which is about the redemption of the Clevelands and therefore is forgiven for all of its flaws.
May 19, 2020
This is not your typical Battery Mates episode. Matthew and Toby play a round of coin-toss baseball and invite you to listen in. So you really have to ask yourself: Are you really that desperate for baseball? Do you like listening to grown men flipping coins (which Toby is somehow very bad at)? If you answered yes twice, this one’s for you. In this simulated game, some very good pitchers get hit around, lots of runs are scored, and it’s a nail biter to the very end. You’ll have to listen to the ...
May 10, 2020
Matthew and Toby somehow have quite a bit to talk about. The boys go around the horn on the Nationals book Matthew is featured in, the prize for last season’s preseason prediction contest winner, the fallout from the Red Sox cheating scandal, and MLB’s Operation: Restart.
May 05, 2020
Matthew, Toby, and Kate Stayman-London are back for another edition of Battery Mates at the Movies to unpack the 2011 Academy Award-nominated film Moneyball , the statement it makes on feminism in hiring practices, and the fact that they stole a key line for Brad Pitt directly from Jennifer Aniston.
Apr 20, 2020
Matthew, Toby, and Kate Stayman-London dip their toes into some current events before diving into the extremely second-screenable 2001 HBO film, 61* , for another segment of Battery Mates at the Movies.
Apr 05, 2020
Matthew and Toby touch on the latest agreement among players and owners before diving deep into Bill Veeck, Steve Dahl, and the disgraceful disaster that was Disco Demolition Night.
Apr 03, 2020
Matthew and Toby (and Kate Stayman-London!) engage in some casual pandemic chat, discuss some baseball deprivation coping mechanisms, and then settle in for a Battery Mates at the Movies deep-dive on Eight Men Out.
Mar 22, 2020
Weird times, weird episode. Matthew and Toby try to unpack what’s going on without getting too depressed or freaked out. In lieu of a new baseball season to cover, the program is taking requests for topics (epic games, memorable moments, etc.) to discuss during the shutdown.
Mar 16, 2020
Matthew and Toby catch up on the Spring Training haps, the latest on who’s hating the Asterisks, MLB’s very, very dumb proposal to expand the playoffs, the new three-batter minimum rule, the Battery Mates upcoming Texas roadshow, and a plug for your preseason predictions.
Mar 05, 2020
In a very special Valentine’s Day episode, Matthew and Toby interview known Houston fan Ross Morales Rocketto about the Asterisks—and, in the meantime, stumble upon a pretty compelling rumor about Bryce Harper.
Feb 14, 2020
On the eve of pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, Matthew and Toby discuss the latest developments with the Houston Asterisks, the impact of the Mookie trade on Mitt Romney’s behavior, and USA Today ’s predictions for the 2020 season.
Feb 10, 2020
Matthew and Toby drop everything to discuss the breaking news of the MLB report on Houston’s “banging scheme” and unpack the ensuing fallout.
Jan 22, 2020
Matthew and Toby wrap up the fourth season of Battery Mates with a check-in on our teams’ offseason, including a fan-demanded look at what’s up with the Kansas City Royals, with special guest James Hupp.
Dec 31, 2019
