Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s experience attending the worst start of Shohei Ohtani ’s MLB career, then (15:04) discuss the Dodgers’ and MLB’s response (and their own reactions to) this week’s serious assault allegations against Trevor Bauer . (Warning: This episode contains some swears, starting at 18:18.) Audio intro : Vanessa Peters, " Rather Bad Day " Audio outro : Teenage Fanclub, " Tears Are Cool " Link to Jay Jaffe on the Ohtani game Link to Twitter thread on traveling t...
Jul 02, 2021•51 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s borderline excessive consumption of Angels games and the latest, greatest exploits of Shohei Ohtani , who and what is to blame for the Yankees’ ongoing struggles, Gerrit Cole ’s performance post-sticky stuff, Hector Santiago becoming the first pitcher ejected for alleged foreign substance use, a Triple-A umpire’s broken-belt ejection, Zach McKinstry keeping his eye on the ball, the Tigers’ recent respectability, and more. Audio intro : Frank Sinatr...
Jun 29, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the brief big league stay of knuckleballer Mickey Jannis , Joey Votto ’s predictions, decline, and reminders of mortality, Greg Maddux forecasting foul balls, and the states of the Cubs and Dodgers post-combined no-hitter. Then they answer listener emails about whether MLB regrets making Statcast data publicly available in the wake of scandals about the ball and foreign substances, why coaches don’t visit hitters mid-inning the way they visit pitchers, w...
Jun 26, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about MLB’s much-maligned All-Star Game uniforms and a pair of odd games, discuss the highs and lows of the first few days of MLB’s enforced foreign-substance ban (with special attention to Max Scherzer , Joe Girardi , and Sergio Romo ), review Wander Franco ’s debut and note the less-hyped arrivals of Lars Nootbaar and knuckleballer Mickey Jannis , relate a Jesse Winker home-run prediction, and close by exploring the ways in which the first-place Houston Astr...
Jun 25, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Ben Lindbergh and guest co-host Mike Ferrin of MLB Network Radio and the Diamondbacks’ broadcast crew discuss the D-Backs’ 17-game losing streak and more extended stretch of futility before bantering about Shohei Ohtani’ s Player of the Week Award-winning performance and the potential for Ohtani to own All-Star Week, the call-up of (and expectations for) Rays infielder and MLB top prospect Wander Franco , and Manny Machado getting distracted by the wave. Then (50:09) Ben talks to biomechanics ex...
Jun 22, 2021•2 hr 21 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up on previous discussions about player predictions and game postponements, answer listener emails about a sticky-stuff pitcher protest, the talent level in the College World Series, the wave as a player-distraction device, a six-year-old who roots for walks, and when the Astros will stop being booed (with an aside about foreign-substance use and the Hall of Fame), then unload a Stat Blast about the Twins and teams with the most and least lineup turnover after...
Jun 18, 2021•1 hr 32 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Jose Altuve forgoing a home run trot, then break down the details of MLB’s plan to enforce the rules against foreign-substance use starting on June 21, covering the pros and cons of putting that plan into action at midseason and opting to ban all substances, what the effects on offense will be, whether Tyler Glasnow ’s injury presages many more arm injuries ahead, a Scott Boras metaphor, and much more. Then (51:07) they bring on EW listener and criminolo...
Jun 17, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s experience seeing Shohei Ohtani pitch, hit, and play right field in person, why balks can be so incomprehensible, the differing recent fortunes of the Angels and the Diamondbacks (and Albert Pujols ), Jacob deGrom ’s dominance and durability, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the big bats (and playoff fortunes) of the Blue Jays, and Baseball-Reference relaunching with the Negro Leagues reclassified as major leagues. After a break, they return (41:43) to ta...
Jun 15, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and The Athletic ’s Grant Brisbee discuss Grant’s experience co-hosting a podcast with Hunter Pence and Grant’s hatred of the zombie-runner rule, before attempting to explain how and why the San Francisco Giants have baseball’s best record and what they should do at the trade deadline. Audio intro : The Baseball Project, " The Giants Win the Pennant " Audio outro : The New Pornographers, " Need Some Giants " Link to Baseball Barista Link to Baggs & Brisbee Link to ...
Jun 11, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about another prescient player prediction (this time involving the Phillies’ Luke Williams ), Nick Madrigal’ s hamstring injury, another aspect of the baseball scene in A Quiet Place Part II , and a few observations about the foreign-substance scandal, including teams’ culpability, how the perception of sticky stuff use may mirror the perception of the PED era, Pete Alonso ’s conspiracy theory about MLB manipulating the baseball, and how the evolution of stick...
Jun 11, 2021•1 hr 20 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter (sans spoilers) about baseball movie A Quiet Place Part II , Eric Sogard sliding over first base, a Travis Jankowski TOOTBLAN, Miguel Sanó repeatedly predicting success, and Jesse Winker raking, then consider whether it’s actually “unfortunate” that the first true two-way player in ages is as good as Shohei Ohtani , answer listener emails about the two-way-player Mendoza Line and whether pitcher Ohtani or hitter Ohtani would win a head-to-head matchup, and con...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 27 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Sports Illustrated ’s Emma Baccellieri banter about Ryan Yarbrough throwing a rare Rays complete game, then share their thoughts on the recent debate about media access in sports sparked by tennis star Naomi Osaka, touching on how access to athletes compares across sports, the dubious value of press conferences, athletes’ obligations and mental health, how media coverage can help players, reporters, and the public, the ongoing efforts to restore MLB clubhouse acces...
Jun 05, 2021•1 hr 20 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about why “Zombie Runner,” not “Manfred Man,” remains their preferred term for the automatic runner, zombies in general, position player pitchers vs. pitcher hitters, the benefits of forfeits, the increasing rate of pitcher hitters not attempting to put the ball in play, MLB’s bad timing with NFTs, the minor league sticky substance crackdown, and the death of Mike Marshall and the chances of ever seeing another pitcher like him. Then (42:04) they talk to Ethan...
Jun 04, 2021•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Luis Urías , the zombie runner, and walk-off wins, a few other aspects of the Will Craig / Javier Báez play, a new stat called the “Boner,” MLB and NFTs, Theo Epstein’s recent comments about making changes to the game, Shohei Ohtani ’s player-page traffic and the future of two-way players, the Rays and Rich Hill , how the aftermath of the spitball ban relates to the future of foreign substance use, the definition of a “generational talent,” whether to cr...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr 45 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Javier Báez and Will Craig combining on a baffling blooper, a naked streaker seizing the moment during a rain delay at Nationals Park, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt’s objection to a foreign-substance inspection (and how MLB should respond), an update from New Era about its short-lived “Local Market” caps, and Francisco Lindor ’s protracted season-starting slump, then answer listener emails about legalizing sticky stuff for bad teams and whether umps woul...
May 28, 2021•1 hr 15 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and Baseball Prospectus editor-in-chief Craig Goldstein banter about cicadas, New Era’s short-lived “MLB Local Market” caps, the exploits of Adolis García , and Byron Buxton being too fast for his own good, then discuss Craig’s recent writing on how to fix what ails baseball, touching on what exactly the problem (if any) is, whether the offensive environment could correct itself, the best ways to reduce pitch speed and strikeouts, and much more, plus a real-time reacti...
May 27, 2021•1 hr 32 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the scant separation between the top teams in each division and the division races they find the most intriguing, Buster Posey , Scott Kazmir , and other old Giants, Isiah Kiner-Falefa backing up his objection to coming in last on FanGraphs’ shortstop positional power ranking, Mariners catcher José Godoy becoming the 20,000th major leaguer (or not) and the factors that influence the way we remember history, Erik Kratz alleging that the Rockies and (seemi...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Shohei Ohtani stalker cam on Japanese telecasts of Angels games, the Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals facing Jacob deGrom , why this season’s no-hitters have all been so dominant, and why it doesn’t make sense to hold hitters responsible for strikeouts and low batting averages. Then they do a Meet a Major Leaguer segment on the Cubs’ Tommy Nance and P.J. Higgins and close by discussing the exciting NL West race, the Cubs’ lackluster rotation, some clubs fa...
May 21, 2021•1 hr 19 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about scheduling their days around Shohei Ohtani and the latest examples of Ohtani excitement, Tony La Russa and unwritten rules vs. fun and the White Sox clubhouse, and Spencer Turnbull and no-hitter overload ( before Corey Kluber’s no-no on Wednesday), then answer listener emails about whether Ohtani is the world’s best athlete, resting or playing Ohtani during All-Star week, whether not making the playoffs is too frequent a talking point when it comes to Oh...
May 20, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Dodgers signing Albert Pujols and what the rest of his season could look like, Kevin Pillar’ s broken nose and the ongoing HBP epidemic, Shohei Ohtani’ s latest heroics (and modeling video) and whether he can become a face of baseball and a crossover star, MLB’s rising injury rate, Huascar Ynoa’ s self-inflicted fracture (and whether teams should invest in dugout/tunnel padding), Yermín Mercedes hitting a homer off of Willians Astudillo and igniting ...
May 19, 2021•1 hr 31 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the same-day debuts of Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert , the future of the Mariners, and whether Mariners fans have actually had it so bad, another distinction between framing and flopping, the retirement of Tyler Flowers and the impact he had on catching technique, the resurgence of Rich Hill , the state of the AL Central and whether it’s too soon to stick a fork in the unfortunate Twins, how the controversy surrounding the NBA play-in tournament mirro...
May 15, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mariners calling up pitching prospect Logan Gilbert , the late-inning dominance of Aroldis Chapman and (more unexpectedly) Kendall Graveman , Shohei Ohtani ’s best start of the season, and the Astros providing housing for their minor leaguers, then answer listener emails about their favorite baseball seasons, how long it will take for 2020 footage of fan-free ballparks to seem surprising, MLB shifting to a six-game-a-week schedule, framing vs. floppi...
May 13, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mariners’ impending call-up of top prospect Jarred Kelenic , the Dodgers’ recent slump, the Oakland A’s threatening to relocate, Wade Miley ’s no-hitter and how long it takes for no-no fatigue to set in, whether MLB’s offensive downturn will force the league to take action, the role of hitters in the hit-by-pitch spike, a near-umpire perfect game and the unparalleled pitch-calling accuracy of unsung umpire John Libka, the Mets’ mysterious rat/raccoon...
May 12, 2021•1 hr 29 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Byron Buxton and the Twins, discuss the Angels designating Albert Pujols for assignment, and answer listener emails about whether to accept a scenario where one’s team always finishes .500 but one also gets to enjoy the career of a generational player, pitchers accepting automatic strikeouts, the best way for catchers to call for appeals on check swings, and appreciating the community of baseball as much as or more so than the sport itself, plus a Stat B...
May 07, 2021•1 hr 27 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Orioles ace John Means pitching a no-hitter and the dropped-third-strike rule that prevented him from having a perfect game, Tony La Russa’s latest managerial miscues, an umpire admitting he guessed at a call, the Yankees turning their season around after a slow start and the perils of small-sample team performance, heckling the Astros, Dylan Cease , Huascar Ynoa , and good and bad arguments for and against the DH, whether the zombie-runner rule leads to...
May 06, 2021•1 hr 29 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about being fully vaccinated, injuries to Dustin May , Luis Robert , Jesús Luzardo , Jacob deGrom , Shohei Ohtani , and others around the league, grumbles about Tony La Russa’s managing, the Angels’ perplexing, persistent .500-ness, the Mets firing and hiring hitting coaches, and surprising pricing for players on Cameo, then follow up on the Dodgers’ shifting against righties, umpires declaring plays too close to call, and handing out flagrant fouls for hit by...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Rays flamethrower Shane McClanahan ’s regular-season MLB debut, a Bryce Harper hit by pitch and the causes of the current HBP epidemic, and the biggest surprises of the topsy-turvy standings entering May. Then (33:32) they’re joined by listener and Patreon supporter David Whitcomb to answer listener emails about whether excelling at fantasy baseball could help someone get hired by a team, what motion umpires should make to signal that a play is too close...
May 01, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s morbid press conference comment, the continued excellence of Byron Buxton , Mike Trout , and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , an early-season dip in infield shifting and an interesting disparity in defensive disparity between the Padres and Dodgers, and Rob Manfred’s comment about sports betting and the pace of baseball. Then they bring on frequent Stat Blast consultant Adam Ott , who’s about to begin a new job as a data scientist in C...
Apr 29, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest riveting Padres-Dodgers series, the beef between Trevor Bauer and Fernando Tatis Jr. , Tatis’s fielding, the end of GM Jeff Bridich’s reign with the Rockies, Madison Bumgarner’ s hitless start (but non-no-hitter?), Jacob deGrom ’s dominance and starts in which pitchers produce as many hits as they allow, and John Means and the O’s stopping Oakland’s 13-game winning streak, then follow up on previous discussions about collective action by fans ...
Apr 27, 2021•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley offer a few updates on the first subject of their “Meet a Major Leaguer” segment, Zach Pop , banter about Corey Dickerson ’s impending 200th career double, and answer listener emails about weather-based scheduling, giving umpires the option of not making close calls and deferring to replay reviewers instead, the strange statistics of Javier Báez , enforcing parity (but also mediocrity), whether baseball fans could channel the collective action of the soccer fans who ...
Apr 24, 2021•1 hr 36 min
