The podcast returns a day earlier than normal, as I am joined by special guest co-host Jorge Arangure of The New York Times. We begin by wrapping up a busy trade deadline, then discuss how Kumar Rocker is a victim of an anti-player rule set, before getting into all of the latest COVID news (while bemoaning the fact that there is always COVID news). Then we are joined by special guest Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post, who takes us through the Nationals tearing things down last week. She also happens to be in Los Angeles for the Dodgers/Astros series, so vibes are discussed. From there it’s your emails and a check-in on Jorge’s mental state as somebody who can’t walk away from the pandemic. Plus, seeing how The Wire holds up after nearly two decades.

As always, we hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

Music by No Lights.

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In the midst of staring at Twitter to stay appraised of the latest trade news, the podcast returns, as I am joined by special guest co-host Steven Goldman of Baseball Prospectus. We begin by reviewing all of the deadline moves, or at least those done by Thursday at lunchtime, while also taking about how COVID continues to rear its very ugly head throughout the game. Then we are joined by a very special guest, our Listener Of The Week, Maine-based independent filmmaker Lucas McNelly. We discuss the fundraising for his upcoming film, Maine Noir, as well as the process of making movies on a shoestring budget. From there it’s your emails, a discussion on how Major League Baseball dealt with a pandemic over a century ago, and the surprisingly good HBO Max series, The White Lotus.

As always, we hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

Music by Izzy True.

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It’s Friday, so the podcast returns as I am joined by special guest host and national writer for Fox Sports, Pedro Moura. We begin by discussing the looming trade deadline, how COVID has been the early story of the second half, and Shohei Ohtani’s footprint in southern California. We also try to understand what is going on with the Oakland A’s stadium situation. Then we are joined by a very special guest, as we welcome up-and-coming baseball journalist Ken Rosenthal for a discussion about what it’s like to cover the trade deadline, the value of breaking news, and just how many texts Ken will send on July 30. From there, it’s your emails, Pedro’s upcoming book and recent job change, and the spectacularly trashy (but impossible to stop watching) garbage that is Love Island UK.

As always, we hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

Music by Sarin.

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You asked for it and you got it. It’s a special bonus episode of Chin Music, as Eric Longenhagen and I break down the draft by walking through all 30 teams. We discuss who each team took with their first pick, their overall draft strategies, and plenty of the lesser-known names from Days Two and Three. No guests, no emails, just over two-and-a-half hours of deep draft discussion.

As always, we hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

Music by Izzy True.

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We’ll have a special draft recap episode in the very near future, but today we return to “normality,” as I am joined by special guest host and Brooklyn resident, Jay Jaffe. We discuss All-Star weekend and preview the second half of the season by going through each division and talking about the stories ahead. Then we are joined by our special guest, a listener of the week in the form of Josh The Graffiti guy, who is currently getting his doctorate studying graffiti. We talk about how the heck he pulled that off and exactly what his work entails. From there, it’s your emails, a Hall of Fame update from Jay, and why the Netflix comedy series I Think You Should Leave makes me sad.

As always, we hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

Music by Izzy True.

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It’s a special episode of the podcast, as we eschew the usual format to spend more than two-and-a-half hours previewing the 2021 MLB Draft, which begins Sunday evening. For this episode, I am joined by our very own well-connected draft guru, Eric Longenhagen, as we discuss the story lines to watch for and what might happen in the first round and beyond. In between our two discussions, we are joined by four staples of draft media for a series of quick-hit interviews during which each answers three questions from Twitter and, for those appearing on television this weekend, discusses their suit and tie choices. In order, our guests are:

• Jim Callis (MLB Pipeline)
• Keith Law (The Athletic)
• Carlos Collazo (Baseball America)
• Kiley McDaniel (ESPN)

It’s a whole lot of draft talk and little else, apart from a couple of tangents on Rory Scovel and the town of Magnolia, Arkansas. The podcast will return to its regularly scheduled format next week.

As always, we hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

Music by Dead.

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Content Warning: We do not discuss the details of the case, but do talk about the Trevor Bauer situation, so there are mentions of sexual violence and abuse. If this is something you understandably want to avoid, the discussion begins at 27:25 and ends at 56:15.

We’re here for the 20th time as Chin Music returns with special co-host Tim Marchman, former editor-in-chief of Deadspin and current features editor for Motherboard under the Vice umbrella. We start light with talk of sticky stuff suspensions and player beefs, before moving onto the mysterious world of NFTs, which Major League Baseball dipped its toes into last week. Then it’s a more serious discussion concerning Trevor Bauer, as Tim offers what might seem like a counter-intuitive suggestion about how this should be handled based on his reporting on similar subjects and talking to victim advocate groups. From there, we have a pair of special guests, beginning with Harry Marino, the executive director of Advocates For Minor Leaguers, who explains the purpose behind the organization and the good fight they are fighting. Then we are joined by Kendall Rogers, managing editor of D1 Baseball, who discusses North Carolina State’s COVID-based elimination from the College World Series. From there it’s the usual endgame, chatting about Eddie Gaedel, the world of tech journalism, Tim’s favorite album of all-time, zombie-based entertainment and more.

As always, we hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

Music by Lung.

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Sure, let’s podcast again. Chin Music returns with special co-host Grant Brisbee of The Athletic, who joins me as we talk about baseball and finally don’t devote an entire episode to the sticky stuff. Ok, we talk about it a little bit but also discuss the arrival of Wander Franco and the remarkable fun that is the National League West so far this season. We lost our scheduled special guest due to travel issues, but Spin Rate host Drew Fairservice joins us on short notice from The Great White North to discuss the Toronto Blue Jays and the state of the pandemic in Canada. Then it’s your emails, some time figuring out how Grant got to where he is, documentaries from Singapore, podcasts on hip-hop, and the worst Jeff Goldblum impression ever recorded.

As always, we hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

Music by Citric Dummies.

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It’s the only thing anyone in baseball is talking about, and we aren’t immune, with another sticky edition of Chin Music. Coming out from the shadows, former Orioles, Mets and Yankees beat writer and current deputy editor at The Athletic Marc Carig joins me for nearly two and a half hours of fun. Marc and I talk about the controversy de jour and try to figure out why baseball has the most miserable fan base in sports before being joined by special guest Jerry Blevins. The ex-big leaguer discusses his personal experience with foreign substances and how this could all be solved with a better baseball. Then it’s your emails, a long discussion on the future of baseball media, a Russian film and associated Hollywood remake, and even some gardening talk.

As always, we hope you enjoy, and thank you for listening.

Music by Drunken Logic.

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Start your weekend with another episode of Chin Music. It’s a bit of a dark episode in terms of subject matter, but we get through it with plenty of laughs. The wonderful David Roth of Defector Media joins me from New York (where else) for a show that, in terms of baseball, mostly focuses on the biggest story in the game — the sticky stuff. David and I get into that as well as the general angst among Yankee fans before being joined by special guest Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic, who provides her thoughts on how Major League Baseball is complicit in the scandal of the moment. Then it’s the usual, with emails, a discussion on separating artists from artistry, the future of Defector and the general media landscape, before finishing with a Moment of Culture.

As always, we hope you enjoy, and thank you for listening.

Music by Breathtaker.

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