Meg Rowley returns from her trip to Seattle to banter with Ben Lindbergh about attending the 18-inning ALDS Game 3, the Mariners’ heartbreaking loss, the fans’ heartening response, and the franchise’s future, as well as overmatched postseason hitters, what scoreless extra-inning games could portend for the zombie runner, the outcomes of the other Division Series, why the NL’s upsets prompted playoff-format handwringing, the cognitive dissonance required to put stock in postseason success, the ou...
Oct 19, 2022
With Meg Rowley on the road, Ben Lindbergh reunites with his former Ringer MLB Show colleagues Michael Baumann , Zach Kram , and Bobby Wagner to discuss the moods of Mets and Phillies fans and catch up on the first few days of Division Series action, touching on Yordan Alvarez , Robbie Ray , a playoff walk-off oddity, Bryce Harper , Zack Wheeler , Phil Maton , Max Fried , Jeremy Peña , geese, soup, and much more, plus a Past Blast from 1916 and a postscript. Audio intro : Mark Lanegan, “ Togethe...
Oct 14, 2022•1 hr 26 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about what would happen if a dominant starting pitcher were caught using sticky stuff in a playoff game, then set up the biggest storylines and scheduling considerations of the division series round, consider which matchup is most likely to result in an upset, and preview each AL and NL series, plus banter about taxing home run balls, and a Past Blast from 1915. Audio intro : The Society of Rockets, “ Western Division ” Audio outro : Phish, “ The Divided Sky ”...
Oct 11, 2022
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about and break down all four wild card series, beginning with big-picture thoughts on the weekend as a whole and the Mariners’ improbable Game 2 comeback win before going series-by-series and discussing Mariners-Blue Jays (8:52), Guardians-Rays (33:03), Phillies-Cardinals (48:39), and Mets-Padres (1:05:50), plus a Past Blast (1:39:25) from 1914. Audio intro : Dan Auerbach, “ Never in My Wildest Dreams ” Audio outro : Meat Loaf, “ Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad ” ...
Oct 10, 2022•1 hr 44 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the beginning of the playoffs and playoff podcasting, share a few words (17:43) from the diligent author of the retiring Stephen Vogt ’s exhaustive Wikipedia page, preview the four wild card series (30:54) and hype up the playoff field, meet major leaguers (1:07:25) Nate Eaton and Brian O’Keefe , and discuss two Royals firings and the coming managerial merry-go-round, plus a Past Blast (1:23:57) about 1913. Audio intro : Midnight North, “ Wild Card ” Aud...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 32 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s efforts to get the new dictionary definition for “ghost runner” changed, how to watch the playoffs when one has cut the cord, Meg’s Rookie of the Year voting deliberations, the underrated Jeff McNeil , the two teams whose per-game attendance declined this season, MLB’s problem gambling PSAs, a DraftKings ad, and more, plus Stat Blasts (56:12) about the worst best players on a team, the change in the percentages of players who make the playoffs and ...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Braves’ first sacrifice bunt of the season, Meg’s gratitude for the effect Mariners fandom has had on her life, the Orioles’ status as impressive also-rans, Atlanta overtaking the Mets, how to assess an MLB season, and the playoff field being set. They also react in real time to Aaron Judge’ s 62nd home run and discuss Jon Berti stealing his 40th base, the latest Astros leadership turmoil, and a dismaying dictionary addition, followed by a Past Blast...
Oct 05, 2022•1 hr 29 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the fight for the third wild card in the National League and the way in which the expanded playoff format shifts attention toward middling teams, appreciating postseason success and regular-season success, the regular-season dominance of the Dodgers, home-run-record derangement syndrome (17:52) and a middle ground between the warring absolutists worked up one way or another about Aaron Judge (or pitchers not pitching to him), a better name for the combin...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr 38 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the inadequacies of dental insurance and Ben’s rewarding trip to Citi Field, a Marlins marketing strategy, Richard Bleier ’s balk debacle, pitchers getting the memo about throwing strikes to Aaron Judge and Judge’s difference-making performance even when he doesn’t homer, preliminary Stat Blasts (41:33) about the most consecutive secondary pitches thrown to a batter in a game and the redundancy of RBI as a Triple Crown stat, finding things to savor in th...
Sep 29, 2022•1 hr 47 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest hitting heroics by 30-year-old rookie Joey Meneses , then discuss the Guardians clinching the AL Central title, underdogs that defy the projections and playoff odds, and Albert Pujols ’s 700th homer. After that (47:00), they talk to Death Cab for Cutie singer/songwriter/guitarist Ben Gibbard about the Mariners’ stretch run and playoff prospects, the sound of settling (for the third wild card), the greatness of Julio Rodríguez , the strengths a...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 47 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the man who tried to return Roger Maris’ s 61st home run ball, two Mickey Mantle letters, the 2017 Zac Gallen / Sandy Alcantara trade, how Maury Wills changed (and dominated) basestealing, and Aaron Judge ’s recent value even when he hasn’t hit homers, then answer listener emails (38:15) about hitters setting their own strike zones, Atlanta’s extreme day/night winning percentage split, the shift ban and the Stanky rule, which pitchers will suffer from th...
Sep 24, 2022•1 hr 45 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the ethics of returning or selling a valuable home run ball, a dilemma involving Aaron Judge on Apple TV+, selling the opposing team’s gear in a ballpark, the Tigers hiring Scott Harris and the Royals firing Dayton Moore, the Mets and Reds setting hit-by-pitch records, Canada dropping its vaccine requirement in time for the MLB playoffs, the lack of standings-derived suspense in the 2022 regular season, the latest Joey Meneses news, and a record number o...
Sep 23, 2022•1 hr 23 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about pitchers throwing a perplexing number of strikes to an unstoppable Aaron Judge , Judge’s sensational September, upcoming contract, and more, Shohei Ohtani’ s pitching prowess, new pitches, and switch-hitting potential, Oneil Cruz ’s recent surge, Yordan Alvarez and how much of slumps can be explained by nagging injuries, Max Scherzer and other pitchers getting pulled from in-progress no-hitters or perfect games, the continued excellence of post-peak Clay...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 43 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about minor leaguers officially joining the MLBPA and what minor league unionization might do to the game’s distribution of revenue, follow up on Gold Gloves for utility players, toilet flappers, and Joey Meneses , discuss Jon Berti ’s pursuit of 40 stolen bases, what pickoff-attempt restrictions will do to the running game, and why they don’t mind making things easier for runners, examine a Jake McCarthy attempted steal of home, give the Diamondbacks their du...
Sep 16, 2022•1 hr 39 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley talk (4:09) to baseball agent and attorney Scott Boras, the founder, owner, and president of the Boras Corporation (as if you didn’t know who Scott Boras was), about his busiest days, his process for brainstorming metaphors, similes, and puns, his fondness for nautical analogies, other wordplay-related matters, the CBA, his agency’s evolving use of analytics and player-improvement techniques, the unionization of minor leaguers and the conditions he faced as a minor l...
Sep 15, 2022•1 hr 49 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the old-and-improved Albert Pujols , Mike Trout’ s homer streak, the White Sox winning, Elvis Andrus making the A’s pay, James Karinchak’ s inconclusive hair inspection, the Dodgers prematurely celebrating a clinching (and the concept of clinch creep), the puzzle of Cody Bellinger , and the retrospective puzzle of Edwin Díaz ’s 2019, plus followups (53:48) on Carlos Correa , bigger bases, and shifting, listener emails (1:02:17) about bigger baseballs and...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 24 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about how the White Sox have played in Tony La Russa’s absence, then discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the rules changes coming to MLB in 2023: a pitch clock, restrictions on pickoff attempts and the shift, and bigger bases (with asides on a new WAR, Zack Greinke ’s front-office acumen, and Ben’s hiccup cure). Then (52:40) they’re joined by historian Richard Hershberger for an in-person Past Blast from 1901, plus a long-term perspective on responses to tim...
Sep 10, 2022•1 hr 30 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the late Queen Elizabeth II’s first baseball game, the latest on Joey Meneses and Juan Soto (and on Soto being booed!), an Albert Pujols / Willians Astudillo fun fact, a Mets/Yankees first-place race update, additional thoughts on Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani , Paul Goldschmidt and the traditional Triple Crown vs. the “sabermetric” Triple Crown, and the great Rookie of the Year races between Julio Rodríguez and Adley Rutschman in the AL and between Spen...
Sep 09, 2022•1 hr 33 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a baseball (and softball) toilet flapper, discuss (13:32) the continued excellence of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani (and the benefits of celebrating both instead of elevating one over the other), follow up on the Angels’ shutouts, Mike Trout’ s post-injury rebound, the MLBPA’s effort to unionize minor leaguers (38:09), players whose homer totals matched their uniform numbers (46:25), César Hernández’ s homers (47:38), Dallas Keuchel’ s disastrous denouem...
Sep 07, 2022•1 hr 56 min
Ben Lindbergh, Meg Rowley, and listener/Patreon supporter Nathan Valentine banter about Nathan’s dual team fandom, then answer listener emails (9:58) about Aaron Judge ’s lead over the next-most-prolific HR hitter, handing out awards for all of MLB rather than each league, Jhoan Duran and defining an “off-speed” pitch, what constitutes actually visiting a stadium, and whether certain players might lose some motivation after signing a long-term extension, plus “How can you not be pedantic about b...
Sep 03, 2022•1 hr 36 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the annual promotion of Terrance Gore as a harbinger of the changing seasons, the modest September roster expansion and the arrivals or returns of Gunnar Henderson , Oswald Peraza , and Billy Hamilton , an umpire caught swearing on a hot mic (4:45), whether the Yankees could actually lose their lead in the AL East (7:59), the continued torrid hitting of Joey Meneses (20:09), the offensive potential of MLB games in Mexico City (21:34), an interruption (22...
Sep 02, 2022•1 hr 37 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s habitual misappraisal of checked swings and the potential for automated checked-swing calls, then discuss the potential unionization of the minor leagues via minor league players joining the MLBPA, Nationals rookie replacement Joey Meneses outplaying Juan Soto and Josh Bell since the trade deadline, Shohei Ohtani , Aaron Judge , and the AL Cy Young and MVP races, the Brewers’ and Padres’ results since the Josh Hader – Taylor Rogers trade, the poten...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 51 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Julio Rodríguez ‘s complex, long-term extension with the Mariners, which wild card contenders Meg is most worried about as a Mariners fan, George Kirby’ s game-starting strike streak and the nature of a strike, the new CBA’s impact on midseason callups, and Bryce Harper’ s return, follow up on MLB players playing KBO players, “defended” vs. “defensed,” Munetaka Murakami ’s homers, and Yankee Stadium’s design, share a Past Blast (43:17) from 1895, and ref...
Aug 27, 2022•1 hr 41 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the approving responses to Ben’s blistering (by Ben’s standards) Yankee Stadium review, Christian Walker ’s scale-breaking defense at first base, “defended” vs. “defensed,” the Dodgers’ historic run of regular-season success, and the battle between teammates Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt for NL MVP frontrunner status, followed by Stat Blasts (49:13) on the Yankees and slumping prospective playoff teams, teams whose players led their league in each t...
Aug 26, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the inflation of flames for fast pitches on baseball broadcasts, Oneil Cruz’ s record-setting hard hit and the limitations of tools, Ben’s review of a trip to Yankee Stadium and Red Sox pitcher Josh Winckowski’ s review of Wrigley Field compared to Fenway Park, the potential impact of a forthcoming Angels franchise sale, the latest Tony La Russa shenanigans, the importance of Johnny Cueto , updates on the streaking Cardinals and Albert Pujols , Jordan Mo...
Aug 25, 2022•1 hr 34 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the impending premiere of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon , the projection-system verdict on the Braves’ extension of Michael Harris II , the White Sox signing Elvis Andrus , the possibly underrated, could’ve-been-Hall-of-Fame career of José Abreu , and the sophomore improvement of Ha-Seong Kim , then (25:06) answer listener emails about Albert Pujols and the 100-WAR threshold, big leaguers who’ve lost more games in their lives than they’ve w...
Aug 19, 2022•1 hr 37 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up on Tony La Russa’s suspicious pinch-runner call, banter about Joey Gallo on the Dodgers and Andrew Benintendi on the Yankees, the utility of booing, and the parochial concept of being unable to play in New York, the curious timing of the Rangers’ firing of long-tenured executive Jon Daniels, the Athletics’ curious release of Elvis Andrus , the Braves extending Michael Harris II and the domino theory of extensions, and Joey Votto ’s season-ending injury, the...
Aug 18, 2022•1 hr 18 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter a bit more about whether Dottie dropped the ball on purpose in the movie version of A League of Their Own , then discuss an Angels defensive meltdown, a vomiting Oakland Athletic, a Javier Báez bad-ball batted ball, Tony La Russa (and Bill Veeck) taking suggestions from the stands, the Mets’ promotion of Brett Baty , Francisco Lindor , Andrés Giménez , and the Lindor trade revisited, Walker Buehler’ s Tommy John surgery, Fernando Tatis Jr. ’s suspension, and t...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 39 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether Dottie dropped the ball on purpose in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own , then (steering clear of spoilers) review and discuss the highs and lows of the new TV reboot, the first season of which debuted on Friday on Amazon Prime Video. After that (49:54), they answer listener emails about whether hard infield throws pose a danger to first basemen, Miguel Cabrera and the efficacy of “setting up” pitchers, announced attendance vs. actual attendan...
Aug 13, 2022•1 hr 41 min
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mariners’ soaring playoff odds, a wild Mariners-Yankees game, the other greatest team gainers and losers in playoff probability over the past month, the difference between Baseball-Reference’s playoff odds and other sites’ versions, Keith Hernandez’ s thoughts on the Phillies, how their own preseason predictions have held up, Steven Kwan and Triston McKenzie , the dominance of the Dodgers, a few significant injuries, the Tigers firing GM Al Avila (40...
Aug 12, 2022•1 hr 55 min
