Infinite Inning 136: War Criminal in the Booth Cliff Corcoran returns to discuss the burning issues of the day, including the everybody-gets-a-playoff-spot trial balloon. Plus, a player asks for help after a hurricane and how the 1922 World Series relates to a non-existent musical about the Founding Fathers called “Morris!” TABLE OF CONTENTS Tony Fernandez and the Hurricane: What’s Good, Anyway?*Bullet Joe Bush and the Immortal Part of Oneself*Cliff Corcoran: Poofy Baseball Caps of the 1890s*The...
Mar 04, 2020•2 hr 28 min
David Roth returns to talk the non-sale of the New York Mets, the irrational trade of Mookie Betts, and asks why the president has an old-time Yankees second baseman on his mind. Plus, a tender encounter with a warm Yankee Stadium security guard and why childhood inadequacy can leave one feeling like Juan Samuel. TABLE OF CONTENTS Face Down in Joe Girardi’s Bouncy Castle*David Roth: The 1961 Yankees vs POTUS (Bobby Richardson Batting Leadoff)*Rudy Has a Ring/Mookie Betts Was Traded*Which of Thes...
Feb 24, 2020•1 hr 54 min
Jesse Spector returns for interlocking discussions of the return of Dusty Baker and revisions to the dinosaur room at the museum. Plus, tales of White Sox and Mets sales gone awry and Rickey Henderson and Mookie Betts trades compared. TABLE OF CONTENTS The Wilpons, the Comiskeys, and the Desire to Give Birth to Yourself*Rickey Henderson Gets Traded*Jesse Spector: Tacosaurus*Dusty Baker Rides Again*Billy Martin Should Not Be in the Hall of Fame*The Limits of Cheating*Garry Maddox vs. Juan Lagares...
Feb 09, 2020•1 hr 44 min
Allen Barra (Mickey and Willie; The Last Coach; Yogi Berra: Eternal Yankee; Inventing Wyatt Earp) discusses his friendship with MLBPA head and new Hall of Famer Marvin Miller. Plus, the consequences of immorality in baseball and a couple of highly flawed Giants relationships. TABLE OF CONTENTS Hal Chase, Roberto Clemente, and “The Good Place”*Managers Hired, Fired, and Hitting Each Other*Allen Barra: Marvin Miller’s Belated Enshrinement*What Was Marvin Miller Like?*Verbal Jujitsu*A Union Man His...
Feb 01, 2020•1 hr 33 min
Marc Normandin returns to talk Astros and Red Sox sign-stealing fallout, plus tales of a player so serene he could sleep in the middle of a ballgame and a Dodgers fan objects to women in the ballpark. TABLE OF CONTENTS When Edd Roush Needs a Nap, Edd Roush Takes a Nap*Ladies’ Day (“Dames! Dames! Dames!”)*Marc Normandin: A Brief, Inadvertent “Rise of Skywalker” Chat*Astros and Red Sox Cheating Reactions*The Astros’ Taubmanism and the Price of Hubris*Jeff Luhnow and Management-Consultant Culture*A...
Jan 25, 2020•1 hr 41 min
Rob Arthur of Baseball Prospectus discusses the juiced ball, Astros sign-stealing, and the past and future of the human race. Plus John McGraw fights while Boston burns and a pitcher is mocked for his weight. TABLE OF CONTENTS Walter, not Jumbo*The Brief Story of “Jumbo Jim”*A Fire in Boston*Rob Arthur: Fruit Flies No Matter What*Malthus Was Right? (“Who’s Mathis?” Andy Asked)*WAR (What’s It Good For?)*The Hall of Fame and the Soft Factors*The Ball is Painfully, Obviously Juiced*Juiced Balls vs....
Jan 18, 2020•1 hr 46 min
Lincoln Mitchell returns to discuss his new book, San Francisco Year Zero: Political Upheaval, Punk Rock, And A Third-Place Baseball Team, about the surprising 1978 Giants and the way the events of that year, including/especially the assassinations of Harvey Milk and George Moscone, changed the city’s future. Plus: An A’s fan lights a flame and a manager takes his owner with him. TABLE OF CONTENTS A’s Fans Burnin’ Down the House*Bucky Harris Speaks Frankly *Lincoln Mitchell: The third-place 1978...
Jan 03, 2020•1 hr 53 min
Craig Goldstein (Baseball Prospectus) returns to discuss the Gerrit Cole signing and the experience of being at the Winter Meetings. Plus 1961 Yankees falsehoods and a Luber-ish Cleveland deal. TABLE OF CONTENTS That Lyin’ Yankees Manager*Gene Green Got a Raw Deal*Craig Goldstein: The Red Sox Are In For an Offseason of Tough Looks*The Gerrit Cole Contract*The Nationals Are Irrational (When Do You Actually Spend the Money?)*The Bud Selig Fig-Leaf*George Steinbrenner and the Minority Partners*The ...
Dec 16, 2019•1 hr 40 min
Cliff Corcoran returns to ask, “Who is the Best Pitcher in Baseball?” Plus assorted tales of baseball in 1917 (real men eat raw ice cream?) and a Pirates manager loses his job. TABLE OF CONTENTS Baseball Unpasteurized*Callahan’s Way*Cliff Corcoran: Dr. Hat*Who Was Buried Beneath Third Base in Yankee Stadium?*Who is “The Best Pitcher in Baseball”*Cy Stood for Cyclone*Dave Stieb and Johan Santana: Greats Who Could Expire at Any Time (Ron Santo)*Santana vs. Koufax*Will the Best Pitcher of the 1950s...
Dec 06, 2019•2 hr 2 min
Amanda Smith, cohost of the Disaster Girls podcast and the author of Le Renard Argenté: The Silver Fox at War explains what inspired her to transport a certain Dodgers second baseman to World War II, plus tales of sign-stealing gone awry and a scrap drive that almost ended Warren Spahn’s career before it started. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chuck Dressen Has a Plan For That*Spahn vs. the Rusty Toasters*Amanda Smith: A Book of Tweets?*Cody Bellinger Wins the MVP*The Politics of Fandom/Bad First-Date Tactic...
Nov 23, 2019•1 hr 26 min
David Roth (ex-Deadspin) returns to discuss the demise of Deadspin and the rise of Carlos Beltran. WARNING: As is true of all Roth episodes, there is quite a bit of cussing. Hide the hamsters. TABLE OF CONTENTS Harvard Eddie and a Requiem for a Friend*Mookie and Pete*David Roth: Spanf’d Out of a Job*The Value is in Not Sticking to Sports*“It’s Unpleasant, But Maybe They Like It”*The Non-Reactionary Death of Splinter*You Have to Admit It’s a Vivid Insult*The Importance of Editorial Independence*T...
Nov 14, 2019•1 hr 39 min
Steve Kluger, author of both the novel and the musical The Last Days of Summer, talks about his tale of a neglected Brooklyn boy and a barely-socialized New York Giants third baseman finding each other in a world on the brink of war. Plus a baseball fixing hypothetical and the dismissal of Jackie Mitchell. TABLE OF CONTENTS Hal Steinbrenner and Derek Jeter’s Impression of Donald Trump in the Ukraine*Jackie Mitchell > Brandon Taubman*Steve Kluger: On the Road with a Show*Seeing Your Characters...
Nov 05, 2019•1 hr 35 min
Sheryl Ring discusses the backlash to her Addison Russell story and all the ways discrimination affects us in and out of baseball. Plus Jungle Jim Rivera’s case suggests a way to protect the Astros from themselves and another career is lost to war. TABLE OF CONTENTS The Ends Justify the Fleas*One German Bomb Away from Stardom*Sheryl Ring: The Addison Russell Backlash*If I Were Powerful I’d Have a Better Car*Identity Politics in the Jim Crow Era and Jim Crow Laws Today*Red-Lining and Reverse Red-...
Oct 26, 2019•1 hr 50 min
Jesse Spector returns to talk manager firings, the proper way to build a lineup, and dissect Joe Maddon’s past and future, plus tales of ancient Cardinals grudges and a Detroit Tigers great sets his priorities. WARNING: Jesse’s dog Youppi arrives about 43 minutes into our discussion. However, Youppi does not swear, so it’s all good. TABLE OF CONTENTS Dizzy Dean Holds a Lead*Hank Greenberg Plays, Daniel Hudson Does Not, and It’s None of Your Damned Business*Jesse Spector: When Your Child is Not J...
Oct 14, 2019•1 hr 44 min
Craig Goldstein reveals his plans for Baseball Prospectus, mourns King Felix and (preemptively) Clayton Kershaw, and wonders if there’s a wrong way to love your cat. Plus tales of George Steinbrenner and Hal Chase that should sound strangely familiar. TABLE OF CONTENTS The Roy Cohn Client*Hal Chase Asks for a Favor*Craig Goldstein: The Wrong Way to Love Your Cat*The Editor is Dead, Long Live the Editor*The BP Community*Fear of Solipsism*Where Have You Gone?*King Felix and Doc Gooden*Does there N...
Oct 02, 2019•1 hr 37 min
Emma Baccellieri (Baseball Prospectus, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated) asks what we’re talking about when we talk about baseball dying, plus Mr. Rivera goes to Washington and ruminations on the Felipe Valazquez case. TABLE OF CONTENTS A Senators Game in 1925/Mr. Rivera Goes to Washington*The Valazquez Case*Emma Baccellieri: “A Brief History of the Many Times Baseball Has Died”*Doomsaying Never Goes Out of Style*What We Mean When We Talk About Baseball Dying*It is High, It is Far, It is Entropy*Mr....
Sep 23, 2019•1 hr 40 min
James Yasko (Astros County, Lima Time Time podcast) discusses the Astros’ potential postseason rotation, neck beards, and AP history. Plus Mark Davis compared to Edwin Diaz and Ty Cobb gets a rule changed by NOT hurting an umpire. TABLE OF CONTENTS Edwin Diaz, Mark Davis, and the Tyranny of Expectations*Ty Cobb Gets a Rule Changed*James Yasko: Neck Beards*An Unabashed Homer*Wade Miley is Tertiary*Carry On, Charlie Morton*Jeff Luhnow, the Killjoy who Brings Joy*Now Pitching, the Pontiff*Three Gre...
Sep 15, 2019•1 hr 36 min
Yes, we went there: Craig Calcaterra joins Steve to discuss the commonalities between affirmative action and Hall of Fame debates, as well as explore the ongoing sense of dislocation provoked by a homer-happy season. Plus, Casey Stengel argues a call and Chuck Klein is star anonymous. WARNING: One excretory cussword late. If offended, write the management. TABLE OF CONTENTS Casey Argues a Call*Chuck Klein: Star Anonymous*Craig Calcaterra: Old Jock Strap in a Can and the Home Run Explosion*Peak H...
Sep 07, 2019•1 hr 46 min
Cliff Corcoran (The Athletic) asks whether Francisco Cervelli should still be allowed to catch, defends the 10th-best players in any team’s history, and questions Yankees starting pitching. Plus Joe DiMaggio has enough and players defends themselves against racial epithets. TABLE OF CONTENTS Joe DiMaggio Retires*Players in the Stands*Cliff Corcoran: The Man of 1,000 Teddy Bears*Francisco Cervelli’s Right to Self-Harm*Alex Jackson is Weird*A Paucity of Historic Pirates Catchers*The Top 10 Yankees...
Aug 30, 2019•1 hr 39 min
David Roth returns to discuss the Mets’ efforts to save their season, falling in love on a day of tragedy, and the proposed Saturday morning cartoon in which the current president saved the Yankees. WARNING: As is typical for a David Roth visit, there is somewhat more cussing than is typical for the show. Please caution all minors. TABLE OF CONTENTS Casey Stengel Escapes!*Sympathy for the Rajah*David Roth: Beards and Birthdays*Exploring “The Yiddish Curver” and other Baseball Card Antiquities*Fr...
Aug 23, 2019•1 hr 50 min
Emily Waldon (The Athletic) discusses covering the Tigers’ farm system, the team’s short-term future, and the awkwardness of teenaged ballplayers. Plus tales of a missing Phillies outfielder and how the Tigers fell, 1950s style, and why it’s still relevant to us today. WARNING: A couple of cusswords, one from Casey Stengel, one from Leo Durocher. Blame them. TABLE OF CONTENTS One of the Missing*A Very Quick Casey Stengel Tale*Concepts of Racism Today and the Detroit Tigers Yesterday*Emily Waldon...
Aug 14, 2019•2 hr 1 min
Jesse Spector talks trade deadline action, inaction, and consequences as well as details a deer encounter on the Taconic Parkway. Plus, tales of the murderous Danny Shay and Carl Mays’ downfall. WARNING: There are two cusswords in this one. Cover the dog’s ears lest he be corrupted. TABLE OF CONTENTS Danny Shay and Clarence Euell*New Patreon Benefit*Carl Mays Falls From Grace*Jesse Spector: Father of the Year Magazine Premium*Down on Charlie Hayes*“Can’t Play in New York”*The Astros Get Zack Gre...
Aug 05, 2019•1 hr 47 min
Eric Stephen (SB Nation, True Blue LA) returns to discuss the Dodgers’ drive for their first World Series title since 1988. Plus, tales of a pitcher’s dangerous farewell and the famous Richie Ashburn foul ball story. TABLE OF CONTENTS Ed Morris’s Going Away Party*Foul Netting and Richie Ashburn*Eric Stephen: Weird Al Encounters*A Great Era in Dodgers History*The Most Valuable Dodger, 2013-2019*Dodgers Scrubs-to-Stars*The Transformation of Hyun-Jin Ryu*Ryumania?*The Failure to Honor Fernando*On J...
Jul 26, 2019•1 hr 34 min
Jeffrey Paternostro discusses Baseball Prospectus’s midseason top-50 prospects list and his long road to becoming a baseball writer, plus tales of Bill Dickey and Jim Palmer. TABLE OF CONTENTS Catcher Injures Runner*Lament for the Orioles*Jeff Paternostro: Driving in the Minors*Prospects and Park Effects*What Makes a Prospect Expert? (To the Brian Bannister Moment)*Faux Scouty Shorthand*Whose Prospect List is Best?*The Subjective Part (The Leody Taveras Problem)*The Big Misses (Einertson vs. Gse...
Jul 19, 2019•1 hr 56 min
Jason Turbow (“The Baseball Codes” and “Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic”) discusses the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers as portrayed in his new book “They Bleed Blue.” Plus, forgotten All-Stars remembered and wild pitching appreciated. TABLE OF CONTENTS Everyone Has a Special Anniversary (Len Barker Makes the All-Star Team)*Dolly Gray Goes Wild*Jason Turbow: Why the 1981 Dodgers?*What the Dodgers Did Right, Not What the Yankees Did Wrong*The Longest-Running Infield*Steve Garvey Against Davey Lopes in th...
Jul 11, 2019•1 hr 43 min
Rachel Louise Snyder discusses No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us and how abusers (even athletes) don’t just “snap.” Plus thoughts on the passing of Tyler Skaggs. TABLE OF CONTENTS Tyler Skaggs*So Much More Than Marty Bergen*Rachel Louise Snyder: Curiosity*A Billion Women*Michelle and Rocky*Threats of Suicide*When Michelle Was Behind the Camera*It’s Not About Anger Management*Beware of Narcissists*Twenty Percent of the Housework*Impulse Love is a Hazard*Wh...
Jul 02, 2019•1 hr 36 min
Cliff Corcoran (The Athletic) talks CC Sabathia in history, Mets mad decision-making, and short benches. Plus, tales of Gorman Thomas being archaically pelted and pre-Machado suspensions. TABLE OF CONTENTS Gladiatorial Combat in Detroit*That Darn Calloway*The Infinite Punishments of Manny Machado*Cliff Corcoran: The Montgomery Biscuits baseball cap*Sabathia, Greinke, Kershaw, Verlander: Yesterday and Today*Dave Stieb and Other Devalued Aces*The Magic 235*Peak vs. Career: Dale Murphy vs. Harold B...
Jun 25, 2019•1 hr 38 min
Rachael McDaniel (FanGraphs, The Hardball Times) returns to discuss her new editorial mission and lays out a philosophy of baseball writing. Plus a tale of Billy Martin’s self-sabotage and Steve bids goodbye to a friend. TABLE OF CONTENTS Intentional Damage*A Personal Note of Mourning*Rachael McDaniel: Youthful Editor of The Hardball Times*Racist Knitters*Leaving Baseball Prospectus*What Is The Hardball Times?*“All They Really Want is What They Know”*Vladimir Guerrero Jr is like Cheddar Cheese*W...
Jun 18, 2019•1 hr 45 min
David Roth (Deadspin) returns to discuss Mets failings, how Jorge Bell became George, and why teams feel the need to add “the one guy who can get the job done.” Plus an argument/tribute to David Ortiz and a pitcher unjustly fined and unjustly accused. WARNING: There are a few random cusswords in this episode. It’s a RothShow. TABLE OF CONTENTS A Paean to David Ortiz*Bill Voiselle’s Weight: It’s Not What You Say*David Roth: The Falls at Paterson*An Accidental Ad*The Americanization of Jorge Bell*...
Jun 12, 2019•1 hr 41 min
TABLE OF CONTENTS If John Wehner Had Broadcast in 1880*Mike Ivie’s Dilemma*Ben Lindbergh: Self-Machined Through Dedicated Practice*A Deeper Understanding of the Game*Can You See Spin Rate with the Naked Eye?*What is THE Essential New Baseball Technology?*Hitting Lags Behind*Paul Waner Dissents*Fly Balls vs. Line Drives*Choking Up*Francisco Lindor, Bill Buckner, and Productive Contact*When Trevor Bauer is Your Pioneer*Excluding the Underprivileged Through Baseball Through Technology*When Not All ...
Jun 04, 2019•1 hr 47 min
