Author Archive

FanGraphs Audio: Jeff Sullivan Explores Birding

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April 18, 2020

Episode 884

On this edition of FanGraphs Audio, I welcome Jeff Sullivan, erstwhile FanGraphs writer and current Rays baseball person, back to the program. We discuss, among other things, the moment when we each realized just how much life was about to change in the face of COVID-19, Jeff’s quarantine hobbies, including birding, the scourge known as cruise ships, and the 2000 cheerleading film Bring It On. Plus, we contemplate what baseball might and should look like if it returns in 2020.

To become a FanGraphs member, click here.

To donate to FanGraphs, click here.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 48 min play time.)

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Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat – 4/14/20

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April 14, 2020
2:00
Toshi: Hi, thank you for chat. If the MLB season ends well into November, I am wondering if these games late in season need to be played in ballparks with roofs. How many ballparks have roofs?
2:01
Meg Rowley: Including the Rangers’ new digs, by my count there are eight ballparks with roofs, either retractable or fixed.
2:02
Meg Rowley: One of those is the Rogers Centre, and I suppose we don’t know what international travel might look like come November, and some of the others are in places that will be mighty chilly, but even still, with the parks in warmer parts of the country, there should be plenty of places for playoff games to be played when the time comes.
2:03
Jinder: Let’s pretend all of the covid stuff hasn’t happened, for a moment, which of these pitchers did you expect to have the best 2020: Darvish, Kluber, Lynn, or Paxton (pre-injury)?
2:03
Meg Rowley: Darvish – the way he was coming on late last season was pretty impressive.
2:04
Meg Rowley: I just bake in time lost to some sad, funky bit of nonsense for Paxton at this point.

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FanGraphs Audio: Lindsey Adler Encourages You to Bake a Cake

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April 10, 2020

Episode 883

Lindsey Adler, Yankees beat writer for The Athletic, joins the program to discuss what life is like on the beat right now, how she’s approaching writing during this delay, the anticipated state of the Yankees roster should baseball return later this summer, and what form she’d like the game to take when it does. Plus, Lindsey shares what it was like on the ground in the final days of Yankees spring training, and offers her advice for those who have taken up baking as a pandemic activity.

To read Lindsey’s piece on how the 1981 Yankees stayed ready through the strike, click here.

To read her piece on how Yankees minor leaguers coped with quarantine, click here.

To become a FanGraphs member, click here.

To donate to FanGraphs, click here.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @megrowler on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximate 36 min play time.)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS


Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat – 03/31/2020

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March 31, 2020
2:01
Meg Rowley: Hi all, and welcome to the chat.
2:02
Meg Rowley: Before I get going, I wanted to take a second to thank everyone who signed up for a membership yesterday, visited the site sans ad blocker, or purchased merch.
2:03
Meg Rowley: We know this is a difficult time for many, and so appreciate everyone’s support of FanGraphs.
2:03
Meg Rowley: This community is really very wonderful, and we’re incredibly lucky to be a part of it.
2:03
JWDC: Will Fangraphs add more merch or other things members can buy to support your work?
2:05
Meg Rowley: Yes! We’ll have more info on this in the coming days. Plans are currently in the works for more merch (we know there are a bunch of sizes sold out), ways to pre-pay for future subs and also gift subs to others, and ways for existing members who wanna help out to do so.

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Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat – 3/25/2020

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March 25, 2020
12:03
Meg Rowley: Hi everyone, and welcome to the chat
12:04
Meg Rowley: Apologies for being a little late – had to brush my teeth. You know, how we still observe the trappings of a civilization?
12:06
I miss baseball: If there is a 2020 season, would you personally put an * next to the winner?
12:08
Meg Rowley: I think we’ll have to be aware of the statistical oddity, but in terms of it having an asterisks because it feels less valid somehow, not really – we’re going to be so happy to have baseball back
12:08
Adam: I’m sure I’m only about the 67th person to ask this, but can we please make the Carson/Dayn podcasts a regular thing again?
12:09
Meg Rowley: Regular? Likely not – I’m not sure how much we can impose on the Blue Jays generosity. But they have a standing invite.

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Saturday, in the Park

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March 19, 2020

Moms are scattered throughout the bleachers, using umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun; the rains that had flooded the outfields of Corona Del Sol High School and caused the cancellation of the first three days of the Boras Classic have passed, leaving the umbrellas free to resume their usual Arizona purpose. It’s almost just another March Saturday.

A few feet from the home plate stands, a group of teen girls huddle in short denim shorts and yoga pants, pony tails perched high on their heads, the day’s light reflecting back from sunglasses. Their grouping doesn’t seem especially concerned with the next pitch. Instead, they chitter about school gossip that is about to meet its own disruption.

On an adjacent soccer field, a group of boys, all of whom occupy that odd time in life when it is hard to tell exactly how old they are, goof around with a Wiffle bat and ball. One of those assembled comes set and pitches in; the batter he’s facing mimics charging the mound, but peels off a few feet before he reaches his friend. After all, their game isn’t serious.

Hand shakes pervade the scene, but they carry with them the air of habit, or good manners, rather than defiance. A few offer an elbow or a fist — “No one knows what to do” is uttered in an amused tone by one scout — but submit to an open hand offered by less bothered compatriots moments later.

The usual bad pop country pumps over the PA system. “Make ya wanna slide on in, like girl, what’s up. Yeah, tonight is bottoms up” intermingles with the announcement of the next batter. Read the rest of this entry »


Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat – 3/17/2020

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March 17, 2020
2:00
Meg Rowley: Hi everyone – going to give the queue a bit more time to fill up. Will get started in a few minutes!
2:05
JR: Given the Marlins much improved farm system, how many seasons (assuming this one happens) do you think before Miami is a viable postseason contender? Or at least playing meaningful games after June?
2:06
Meg Rowley: Heck, they might be playing meaningful games this June (please let’s be playing baseball in June!) – a shortened season can make things pretttty weird. But realistically, I’d say two more. And a lot depends on them being willing to spend money, which…
2:06
Josh: I know there are more important issues than baseball, but how do you think shortened seasons will look similar to the strike-shortened seasons of the past?
2:07
Meg Rowley: I think we might end up with some real funky playoff teams if things keep dwindling, though that likely manifests more as surprising Wild Card teams, or a few of the more coin flippy divisions going to the opposite side of the coin than we expected.
2:08
Meg Rowley: The Yankees are still good. The Brave are still good. And the longer they’re on break, the more dudes they get back.

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Effectively Wild Episode 1510: Season Preview Series: Red Sox and Giants

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March 6, 2020

EWFI
Meg Rowley and Sam Miller briefly banter about the state of Chris Sale’s arm and appreciating one’s friends when they are on vacation, then preview the 2020 Boston Red Sox (4:40) with the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, and the 2020 San Francisco Giants (38:40) with The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee.

2020 EW Season Preview Series

Audio intro: David Bowie, “Under Pressure”
Audio interstitial 1: David Bowie, “Changes”
Audio interstitial 2: Dan Bern, “The Sun Shines on McCovey Cove”
Audio outro: David Bowie, “Heroes”

Link to order Homegrown: How the Red Sox Built a Champion from the Ground Up
Link to order The MVP Machine

 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 Twitter Account
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

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Effectively Wild Episode 1509: To All Hosts Other Than Ben Lindbergh

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March 4, 2020


With Ben Lindbergh on vacation, Meg Rowley and Sam Miller answer a few very special listener emails on Shohei Ohtani, what they want to know about the 2020 season (complete with a twist), and how we treat umpires. Plus, a Statblast!

Audio intro: The Police, “Message In A Bottle”
Audio outro: Letters to Cleo, “Cruel to be Kind”

Link to Meg’s piece “Time Has Come Today”
Link to order The MVP Machine

 iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)
 Sponsor Us on Patreon
 Facebook Group
 Effectively Wild Wiki
 Twitter Account
 Get Our Merch!
 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com

Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download

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Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat – 3/3/2020

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March 3, 2020
2:00
Meg Rowley: Hello all, and welcome to the chat
2:01
Meg Rowley: Hope everyone is having a good week amongst all the stressful Real World things – a few baseball-related distractions:
2:01
Meg Rowley: Jay wrote about Cole Hamels and the Braves rotation: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/cole-hamels-cranky-shoulder-will-test-brav…
2:02
Meg Rowley: Craig has a double feature. First, on the Mets’ outfield situation: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-cardinals-messy-outfield-situation/
2:02
Meg Rowley: then on the injuries befalling the AL East: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/injuries-are-throwing-the-al-east-for-a-lo…
2:03
Meg Rowley: Also, yesterday Ben Clemens took a look at the dramatic spin spike Trevor Bauer saw last September: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/trevor-bauer-might-have-conducted-another-…

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