Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about James Paxton’ s unappetizing approach to chili, Atlanta signing Yasiel Puig , weirdness and whimsy in Summer Camp intrasquad games, the history of the catcher (and umpire) mask camera, odd-sounding fake crowd noise, players planning to wear masks in regular-season games, umpires opting out of the season, and a potential five-man infield, then (22:56) preview the 2020 Houston Astros with the Houston Chronicle ’s Chandler Rome , and the 2020 Seattle Marine...
Jul 15, 2020•1 hr 56 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s editing activities, MLB’s COVID-19 intake testing results, Buster Posey and Michael Kopech opting out of the season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. switching positions, and the Blue Jays’ quarantine conditions. Then (19:08) they bring on Baseball Prospectus writer Shakeia Taylor to follow up on the podcast’s recent Negro Leagues coverage by explaining how she researches stories about the Negro Leagues and ties them to current events, some of the underexpose...
Jul 11, 2020•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley provide a brief update on the health of co-host Sam Miller (who’s on hiatus), then preview the 2020 New York Yankees with The Athletic’ s Lindsey Adler , and the 2020 Detroit Tigers (46:57) with the Detroit Free Press ’s Anthony Fenech . 2020 EW Season Preview Series AL BAL CHW ATH BOS CLE HOU NYY DET LAA TBR KCR SEA TOR MIN TEX NL ATL CHC ARI MIA CIN COL NYM MIL LAD PHI PIT SDP WSN STL SFG Audio intro : Bombadil, " Binoculars " Audio interstitial : The Sadies, " Tig...
Jul 10, 2020•1 hr 22 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about baseball dreams and a holiday weekend in MLB marred by testing delays, canceled practices, concerned players, and other impediments to a safe and smooth season, then pick up where they left off four months ago in their season preview series by previewing the 2020 Tampa Bay Rays (16:05) with The Athletic’ s Josh Tolentino and the 2020 Miami Marlins (57:10) with the Miami Herald ’s Jordan McPherson . 2020 EW Season Preview Series AL BAL CHW ATH BOS CLE HOU...
Jul 08, 2020•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the difficulties of disclosing or obscuring the identities of players who hit the injured list after contracting COVID-19, dissect a few new analogies from Scott Boras’s brain, and discuss resuming their season preview series, then (35:47) conclude their week-long celebration of the Negro Leagues by bringing on esteemed Negro Leagues historian Larry Lester to discuss the origins of scholarship about the Negro Leagues, co-founding the Negro Leagues Baseba...
Jul 03, 2020•1 hr 18 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s effusive streaming recommendation, the Korean baseball drama Stove League . Then (8:51) they start the second episode of their week-long celebration of the Negro Leagues by bringing on Jeremy Beer , author of the award-winning baseball biography Oscar Charleston: The Life and Legend of Baseball’s Greatest Forgotten Player , to talk about Charleston’s bona fides as one of the top 10 baseball players of all time, why his fame falls short of his accom...
Jul 02, 2020•1 hr 31 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the backlash to MLB’s use of the sponsored term “summer camp,” four players’ decisions to opt out of the season, a heartfelt, thought-provoking post by Ian Desmond , and the official cancellation of the minor league season. Then they explain the Negro Leagues theme of this week of Effectively Wild episodes and (at 16:19) bring on Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick to talk about the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues,...
Jul 01, 2020•1 hr 13 min
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
