Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley talk to a beat writer and a broadcaster— The Athletic ’s White Sox reporter James Fegan and Diamondbacks and MLB Network Radio host Mike Ferrin —about how they plan to tackle the unique challenges of covering the 2020 season, touching on how often they’ll be at the ballpark, how restricted access to players will affect their work, how they’ll blend baseball coverage with allusions to national news, how their audiences reacted to MLB’s latest labor battle and the news...
Jun 27, 2020
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley answer listener emails about statistical leaders and record-setters in a small-sample season, what would make winning a championship in a 60-game season more impressive, the odds of good teams missing the playoffs, bad teams making the playoffs, and teams having unrepresentative 60-game stretches, the possibility of losing a perfect game, what types of teams are built for this strange season, KBO’s catching techniques compared to MLB’s, why American sports are averse...
Jun 27, 2020•1 hr 26 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the long-in-the-making announcement about the MLB season starting, touching on the resolution of the dispute between the league and the union, their deeply conflicted feelings about baseball being played during a pandemic, the strangeness of a 60-game season, how to reframe fandom and reorient rooting interests in a short season, starting extra innings with runners on second, and an especially perplexing Scott Boras analogy. Then (45:20) they bring on epidemi...
Jun 25, 2020•1 hr 41 min
Meg Rowley is joined by the New York Daily News’ Bradford William Davis and Baseball Prospectus’ Shakeia Taylor to discuss Major League Baseball’s response to the police killing of George Floyd and the recent Black Lives Matter protests, why the league’s statements have been so wanting, whether teams have a role to play — both in their communities and in their clubhouses — in conversations about systemic racism, players’ increased willingness to support BLM publicly, some concrete steps MLB shou...
Jun 23, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley review the latest lack of progress toward starting the MLB season, touching on the false hope offered by a meeting between Rob Manfred and Tony Clark, the subsequent breakdown in talks, a poll about where the public places blame for the standstill, what negotiations without leaks would look like, how the parties will proceed, and more. Then they discuss a series of COVID-19 outbreaks in baseball, the feasibility of a safe season, the importance of mask-wearing, and a...
Jun 20, 2020•1 hr 23 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss Rob Manfred’s rapid flip-flop from expressing 100 percent confidence about an MLB season starting to expressing a lack of confidence in an MLB season starting, his ultimatum to the union, how Manfred has floundered at a pivotal time and how that failure effects his future, how some owners’ reluctance to start the season is hurting themselves and the sport, how COVID complicates plans to play, the worst-case scenario for the league, the odds of a season, and m...
Jun 17, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller interview AJ Shnack , the director of ESPN’s new 30 for 30 documentary about the 1998 home run race, Long Gone Summer , touching on the involvement of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa , how AJ structured the story, which slugger was the star of the race, the myth that the home run race “saved baseball,” whether he thought about interviewing Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds , what the auctioned-off record home run balls are worth now, Jeff Tweedy’s score, and more. Then (26...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 3 min
MLB Draft Week 2020 Mock Draft 2.0 Beyond Round 5: The Best Later-Round Draftees, Part 1 Let’s Field an All Late-Round Team The 2020 Draft Primer Beyond Round 5: The Best Later-Round Draftees, Part 2 Statistical Diamonds in the Rough Opportunities Missed: Which Teams Have Failed to Sign the Most Talent Mock Draft 3.0: The Day Of Day 1 Mega Draft Night Chat Day 1 Draft Recap Effectively Wild: Draft Day Draft Odds & Ends Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the continued standstill over s...
Jun 12, 2020•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh talks to Braves outfield prospect Trey Harris about how he’s processed the murder of George Floyd and learned from the ongoing protests, how race and racism have affected his life and career, the additional barriers black players face, how he’s tried to talk to teammates, coaches, and friends about systemic racism and recent events, why baseball has historically been quiet about social justice compared to other sports and why players have started speaking up, the scarcity of black ...
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 8 min
Ben briefly explains this week’s podcast hiatus. Link to Joon Lee on players’ statements Link to Marc Carig on MLB’s response Link to Bradford William Davis on team and league statements Link to Randy Wilkins on MLB’s statement Link to Doug Glanville and other ex-players on race and baseball Link to Shakeia Taylor on civil rights and black baseball Link to Stephon Johnson on being a black baseball fan Link to Shakeia Taylor on Tim Anderson’s 2019 suspension Link to James Fegan on Tim Anderson an...
Jun 05, 2020•2 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the results of a survey of sports fans about fake crowd noise on telecasts, then discuss a difficult, frustrating week for baseball, touching on ownership overreach and intransigence, widespread releases of minor league players, teams and players that have made more commendable choices, baseball’s lost opportunity to lead, the disaster scenario the sport is facing, and who baseball is for. Then (51:12) they talk to labor lawyer Eugene Freedman about the ...
May 30, 2020•1 hr 39 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about MLB’s ongoing labor negotiations, the team-to-team differences in minor-league pay and front-office furloughs, and the perils of believing that baseball is purely for profit, follow up on the previous episode’s discussions of Carney Lansford ’s claim to be a descendant of Sir Francis Drake and a forward-thinking 1989 Cy Young voter, and answer listener emails about bringing hockey’s three stars system to baseball and redoing the 2012 AL MVP vote with a 2...
May 28, 2020•1 hr 22 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about viral particles, Mike Trout’ s self-identified best at-bat, Carney Lansford’s possible link to Sir Francis Drake, sports card “breakers,” a perplexing story involving Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner , Wilbert Robinson ’s five birthdays, why a love of playing baseball often translates to a love of anything connected to baseball, the serendipitous discoveries that come from browsing newspaper archives, and a mysterious 1989 Cy Young vote. Audio intro : Darlingsid...
May 26, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a mystifying comment on the back of track star and Oakland A’s designated runner Herb Washington ’s 1975 Topps card, the phenomenon of wildly inaccurate appraisals of player value, and the utility of pinch-running specialists. Then (21:48) they talk to ESPN broadcaster Jon “Boog” Sciambi about calling KBO games from home, learning a new league, the perils and pitfalls of remote baseball broadcasting, how calling games in a different time zone has affecte...
May 23, 2020•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the reliability of betting on baseball using the Grays Sports Almanac from Back to the Future Part II , then answer listener emails about a baseball broadcaster reality show, awarding bonuses for success in specific batter-pitcher matchups, and whether there’s any way to make pitchers into less terrible hitters, plus Stat Blasts about how a bandbox ballpark with a ton of foul territory would play and the least valuable World Series MVPs. Audio intro : Te...
May 21, 2020
Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and Meg Rowley banter about MLB’s proposed in-game distancing measures and what degree of difference from the norm would prevent the game from still looking like baseball, then draft and discuss their favorite highly specific ways in which to follow a baseball game, whether in person or from afar. Audio intro : Sloan, " Listen to the Radio " Audio outro : Ezra Furman, " Watch You Go By " Link to ESPN report about safety protocols Link to The Athletic report about safet...
May 19, 2020
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the announcement of a second Astros sign-stealing documentary and what they would want out of a sign-stealing docuseries, the ongoing negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA about starting the season, the public perception problems the players face, the way the media has covered the financial component of the talks, the long-term effects of 2020 on what baseball will look like, fake crowd noise on baseball broadcasts, and a Scott Boras rocket analogy. The...
May 16, 2020•1 hr 40 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the difficulty of interpreting the context of old articles about baseball and a man obsessed with smashing certain plate glass windows, then answer listener emails about what qualifies as hitting a ball out of the ballpark and eliminating force outs, plus Stat Blasts about the all-time defensive indifference leaders (inspired by Armando Galarraga ’s lobbying for a retroactive perfect game), winning pitchers with more earned runs allowed than the losing p...
May 14, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about an anecdote in David Halberstam’s book The Teammates about prescient Cardinals pitcher Harry Brecheen , the uproar when players were first prevented from leaving their gloves on the field, and the 20th anniversary of Glenallen Hill ’s rooftop home run, then revisit Michael Jordan’s motivations for playing baseball and discuss the etymology and application of the term “eyewash” inside and outside of baseball (plus a remembrance of the late Jerry Stiller a...
May 12, 2020•1 hr 14 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about an aggressive umpiring demotion in the KBO, FanGraphs adding KBO stats, and the pleasures of falling asleep with baseball on in the background. Then (16:30) they talk to former lefty pitcher Andy Van Hekken , who pitched professionally for 21 seasons across nine countries, about being one of the most-traveled pro players of all time, his memorable MLB debut with the 2002 Detroit Tigers, pitching in the KBO, CPBL, and NPB, the customs, strike zones, and s...
May 09, 2020•1 hr 29 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about KBO season excitement and answer listener emails about MLB precedents for Warwick Saupold ’s KBO complete game, whether MLB fandom would work if teams didn’t play games in their “home” cities, the ethics of time travel in Tommy John surgery rehab and if and when it makes sense to sacrifice life expectancy for greater achievement, Johnny Sturm and other players who’ve qualified for the batting title in their lone MLB season, how Ben and Sam are continuing...
May 08, 2020•1 hr 20 min
Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and Meg Rowley banter about fear of criticism, Eddie Murphy vs. Eddie Murray, and dreams, then take turns building the best imaginary Hall of Fame exhibits they can by picking five baseball items from their lifetimes for Cooperstown preservation, drafting one artifact apiece from each of five categories. Audio intro : Death Cab for Cutie, " Pictures in an Exhibition " Audio outro : Mavis Staples, " History, Now " Link to Bonds vs. Gagne video Link to Bonds vs. Gagne ba...
May 05, 2020•1 hr 31 min
Facing the prospect of a season without fans in the stands, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley console themselves and fight baseball withdrawal by revisiting classic accounts of going to games. The authors of three revered books based on single games—Arnold Hano, the author of A Day in the Bleachers (1955), Dan Okrent , the author of Nine Innings (1985), and Rob Neyer , the author of Power Ball (2018)—join the show for a conversation about the enduring appeal of the genre their books belong to, the ch...
May 01, 2020•56 min
Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and senior writer for The Athletic Andy McCullough banter about the people they would be (or have been) most nervous about interviewing and two new noteworthy articles, then discuss Andy’s and Rustin Dodd’s highly controversial ranking of the 30 greatest baseball songs of all time, the dispute about John Fogerty’s “Centerfield,” the best and worst baseball songs, what qualifies a song as a baseball song, why baseball music isn’t better, and more. Audio intro : The Magn...
Apr 30, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Johnny Vander Meer ’s ear boils and the surprisingly ancient origins of the phrase, “A walk is as good as a hit,” then answer listener emails about why some players prove to be flashes in the pan, whether a home run derby would work under current conditions, whether the pandemic makes MLB expansion more or less likely, what one would learn from watching every game from an MLB season (and how one would do it), why some prospects skip Triple-A, and why we ...
Apr 28, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about beverage consumption, foreign baseball leagues’ potential for popularity in the U.S., and the life and death of legendary flamethrower Steve Dalkowski, who passed away this week. Then they talk to Rob Liu of CPBLStats.com (25:48) and Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net (58:22) about two leagues that have beaten MLB back to action, Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) and South Korea’s Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), touching on how their seasons ha...
Apr 25, 2020•1 hr 35 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller discuss the results of MLB’s investigation into Boston Red Sox sign stealing, touching on Boston’s lighter penalties and seemingly lesser offenses compared to the Astros’, whether Boston’s front office and coaches deserved to be absolved, the moral hazard of the advance scout who doubles as a replay-room operator, and more. Then they answer listener emails about firing managers based on one egregious in-game decision, transporting a modern coach to an earlier era of ...
Apr 23, 2020•1 hr 16 min
Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the Effectively Wild community’s least-disliked MLB teams and two unjust Cy Young/MVP snubs, then discuss what Michael Jordan’s brief baseball career taught us about Jordan and about baseball. Audio intro : Willie Nelson, " Why Do I Have to Choose " Audio outro : Emmylou Harris, " Jordan " Link to EW MLB Survivor game recap Link to EW MLB Survivor game data Link to Ben on peak Pedro Link to Jordan oral history Link to episode about Jordan oral history Li...
Apr 21, 2020
With MLB in limbo, Ben Lindbergh investigates virtual baseball, talking to the designers of three new baseball video games— Ramone Russell of Sony San Diego, makers of MLB The Show 20 , Markus Heinsohn of Out of the Park Developments, makers of Out of the Park Baseball 21 (37:56), and Scott Drader of Metalhead Software, makers of Super Mega Baseball 3 (1:21:50)—about the histories of their respective franchises, how their games differ stylistically, their different development plans, balancing r...
Apr 20, 2020•2 hr 3 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley speak to FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel about their new book, Future Value: The Battle for Baseball’s Soul and How Teams Will Find the Next Superstar , touching on topics including the best kinds of scouting stories, how technology and data have confirmed or overturned traditional scouting beliefs, how smart teams are spending, how to make a miserly owner invest in scouting and development, whether scouts should have access to data, whether sco...
Apr 18, 2020•1 hr 39 min
