Author Archive

Effectively Wild Episode 2310: Only a Woman: Ella Black, Lost and Found (Part 2–Ella’s Season)

EWFI
Ella Black was the first woman to write about baseball for a national publication—if her name was Ella Black, and if she was a woman. On Ella Black: Lost and Found, a three-part scripted series from Effectively Wild, Ben Lindbergh explores what we know about the enigmatic trailblazer and tries to solve some of the mysteries that have surrounded her ever since she debuted—and, just as suddenly, disappeared—in 1890. On Part 2, “Ella’s Season,” Ben chronicles Ella’s coverage of baseball’s civil war, explores her own disputes with skeptics, and explains how both conflicts ended.

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Effectively Wild Episode 2309: Only a Woman: Ella Black, Lost and Found (Part 1–Ella’s Legend)

EWFI
Ella Black was the first woman to write about baseball for a national publication—if her name was Ella Black, and if she was a woman. On Ella Black: Lost and Found, a three-part scripted series from Effectively Wild, Ben Lindbergh explores what we know about the enigmatic trailblazer and tries to solve some of the mysteries that have surrounded her ever since she debuted—and, just as suddenly, disappeared—in 1890. On Part 1, “Ella’s Legend,” Ben introduces Ella, explains the circumstances that made her so extraordinary, and sets up the stakes of the 1890 baseball civil war.

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Effectively Wild Episode 2308: Field of Streams

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the acceptable circumstances (if any) for a bobblehead of a team owner, the Grand Junction Jackalopes belatedly embracing their destiny as the “Chubs,” and more, then (29:35) review and discuss the Netflix documentary The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox, followed by a tease for an upcoming Effectively Wild scripted series and (1:26:37) follow-ups.

Audio intro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme
Audio outro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Horny)

Link to Orioles bobblehead
Link to O’s promotions page
Link to Rubenstein wiki
Link to Rubenstein video
Link to Chubs story 1
Link to Chubs story 2
Link to Chubs story 3
Link to EW Episode 1396
Link to Jackalopes wiki
Link to Spartanburgers wiki
Link to Spartanburg wiki
Link to Netflix doc
Link to Cora quote
Link to budget issues
Link to Duran story 1
Link to Duran story 2
Link to Casas clip
Link to 2024 Sox playoff odds
Link to Ripperger scorecoard
Link to Hammerheads gamer
Link to Hammerheads box score
Link to Tavares taxes story
Link to Paris box position
Link to Paris side view
Link to Mahomes pants story
Link to extension deadlines list
Link to The Pitt thread
Link to Wade/Ward wiki
Link to EW Episode 1890

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Effectively Wild Episode 2307: The Best Worst Game

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s big bonus, Edmundo Sosa’s beginner’s home run robbery, how much of a difference depth makes, and the relative levels of alarm about the shoulder injuries of Reynaldo López, Victor Robles, and Blake Snell. Then (49:14) they talk to MLB.com’s Michael Clair about what it was like to attend the amateur baseball event of the year: the Division III showdown between Yeshiva and Lehman, who entered their Wednesday doubleheader on the two longest active losing streaks in college baseball.

Audio intro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme
Audio interstitial: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme
Audio outro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme

Link to Rosenthal on Vlad
Link to Sosa play
Link to Clemens on depth
Link to Clemens on depth on EW
Link to MLBTR on López
Link to team SP projections
Link to MLBTR on Snell
Link to MLBTR on Robles
Link to Petriello on Robles
Link to Robles batting change
Link to Michael on the game
Link to original Reddit post
Link to postgame Reddit post
Link to Caltech story
Link to Yeshiva team stats
Link to Yeshiva vs. Lehman stats
Link to Game 2 video
Link to Ben on Salina
Link to Michael’s manuscript
Link to Michael on the Czech team

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Effectively Wild Episode 2306: Extension Tension


Effectively Wild Episode 2305: How Low Can it Go?

EWFI
In a grab-bag episode, Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the low league BABIP early in the season, the most interesting standings developments so far (with emphases on the Dodgers, Padres, Braves, and AL Central), Atlanta re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-acquiring Jesse Chavez, early attendance issues for the A’s, (team-friendly?) extensions for Jackson Merrill, Kristian Campbell, and Ketel Marte, Dennis Santana’s sartorial innovation, the end of Comerica Park’s dirt strip, players being told not to tap their helmets, a mid-plate-appearance pitching change, a 12-6 slider, the Dodgers’ new, Ohtani-related celebration, ESPN’s annual executives/scouts survey, being “on gear” in climbing, and Carshield baseball ads.

Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme
Audio outro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme

Link to early season BABIPs
Link to Ben on 2020 BABIP
Link to Ben on lower league BABIPs
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Baumann on the Braves
Link to Chavez transactions page
Link to Hill Stat Blast
Link to Chavez Stat Blast
Link to Clemens on Mookie
Link to 2002 NL East
Link to Castillo fun fact
Link to FG on Merrill
Link to Union-Tribune on Merrill
Link to FG on Campbell
Link to Campbell on “friends”
Link to FG on Marte
Link to The Bandwagon on Marte
Link to MLBTR on Marte
Link to A’s attendance article
Link to ESPN survey
Link to Goold tweet
Link to EW on “strategy” in 2024
Link to Ben on “strategy”
Link to Harper quote
Link to EW on The Pitt
Link to new 12-6 slider
Link to Santana clip
Link to Comerica change
Link to Ben on pickoff moves
Link to ballpark homogenization
Link to Ohtani celly 1
Link to Ohtani celly 2
Link to Freeman injury info
Link to Vlad report
Link to Shapiro quote
Link to Curb clip
Link to Ghiroli article
Link to Carshield EW episode
Link to FTC press release
Link to FTC complaint

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Effectively Wild Episode 2304: You Say Suspension, I Say Extension

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about several oddities of the early season, including pitcher Ryne Nelson’s single and a drone encounter with an A’s bat boy, then discuss Jurickson Profar’s PED suspension, Garrett Crochet’s extension, and Jonathan Lucroy‘s reaction to Roki Sasaki’s apparent post-start tears, before bantering about whether full ABS would encourage even harder throwing, Lance Lynn’s retirement, a wild college throw, and more, plus a postscript.

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme
Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme

Link to Jay on the White Sox
Link to Nelson hit
Link to more on Nelson
Link to Pirates Elias tweet
Link to B-Ref Brewers post
Link to The Athletic on Profar
Link to Orr on Profar
Link to Ben on natty or not
Link to Baumann on the Braves
Link to MLBTR on Crochet 1
Link to MLBTR on Crochet 2
Link to MLBTR on Campbell
Link to Sheehan on Crochet
Link to Dan S. on Crochet
Link to MLB.com on Crochet
Link to drone story
Link to Sasaki clip
Link to L.AT. on Sasaki
Link to Lucroy tweet 1
Link to Lucroy tweet 2
Link to more Lucroy tweets
Link to Wolfe quotes
Link to r/tragedeigh
Link to McAfee story
Link to ABS story 1
Link to ABS story 2
Link to Lynn podcast
Link to RF throw
Link to MLBTR on Vlad
Link to Shapiro story
Link to MLBTR on Pfaadt

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Effectively Wild Episode 2303: Bat After This

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley have an in-depth discussion on all aspects of the sport’s topic du jour: torpedo/bowling-pin/juggling-pin(?) bats. They also banter (59:58) about the abysmal beginning of Rafael Devers’s season, Aaron Judge’s interviews, MLB’s attempt to make up for its MLB.TV outage, the vibes at Blue Jays games, Willson Contreras eating bat tape, Jack Leiter taking a ball to the beans, the invasion of Chases, and Sutter Health Park, plus (1:37:22) several follow-ups.

Audio intro: Philip Tapley and Michael Stokes, “Effectively Wild Theme
Audio outro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme

Link to Ben on the bats
Link to many bat-related links
Link to official bat change
Link to Judge quotes
Link to Waldman clip
Link to Contreras clip
Link to Contreras story
Link to Leiter clip
Link to r/tragedeigh
Link to listener emails database

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Effectively Wild Episode 2302: Opening Delay and the 2025 Team Fun Draft

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley react to assorted frustrations and delights of Opening Day, then (42:07) conduct the fifth annual Team Fun Draft, in which they draft all 30 teams in order of how fun they expect them to be to follow in 2025.

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes 2, “Effectively Wild Theme 2
Audio outro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme

Link to story on mlb.tv outage
Link to Guardians offer
Link to FG staff predictions post
Link to FG staff bold predictions
Link to Meg’s PPR summary
Link to Ringer entrance survey
Link to Contreras post
Link to Bibee on Chipotle
Link to Torkelson article
Link to Shohei HR reactions
Link to Rosen on ballparks

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Effectively Wild Episode 2301: Organing Day

EWFI
Ben Lindbergh and FanGraphs writer Dan Szymborski banter about how much spring training stats matter, which players improved their projections the most this spring, whether prospects really have a harder time making the transition to MLB from Triple-A today, their spring training award winners, the five-ish biggest questions/storylines for each of them this MLB season, and a smattering of “bold predictions” from EW listeners. Then (1:23:29) Ben brings back the “Baseball Jobs” series by interviewing Josh Kantor, longtime Fenway Park organist, to talk about how he got his gig, his side projects, the ins and outs of his in-game responsibilities, the upcoming season, and much more, followed by a brief keyboard performance.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme 2
Audio interstitial: Josh Kantor and Nancy Faust, “Sweet Caroline
Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme

Link to 2015 spring study
Link to Hoyer quote
Link to Ben’s new prospects article
Link to Ben’s old prospects article
Link to spring champions
Link to ST team wins
Link to FG ST leaderboards
Link to five Clemens questions
Link to listener bold predictions
Link to EW predictions ballot
Link to previous Baseball Jobs pod
Link to Josh Kantor wiki
Link to Baseball Project pod
Link to Baseball Project song
Link to Kaminski pod

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