Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Rays’ combined seven-inning hitless game, knuckleballer Mickey Jannis as a secret weapon in MLB The Show, Jacob deGrom and the near-impossibility of breaking the ERA record, Billy Hamilton and players with the highest highlight-to-value ratios, a six-man outfield against Joey Gallo, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the retelling of player predictions, a first for Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera’s recent semi-resurgence, Pablo López and an (almost) unprecedented one-pitch loss, Sonny Gray getting naked, another Max Muncy, the hidden difficulties of Shohei Ohtani’s two-way season, Max Stassi and the virtues of a catcher who can frame, and the Angels without Mike Trout, plus a Stat Blast about Jake Arrieta and the fewest pitches before grand slams. Then (1:05:34) they talk to Hat Club community manager Benjamin Christensen about the online backlash to the New Era “Local Market” and “Mixed Font” caps, why those caps are more successful than they seem, the process of designing hats, the overlap (or lack thereof) between Baseball Twitter and baseball-cap buyers, baseball caps as fashion statements, the continued cap dominance of MLB, how caps can promote the sport, and his favorite baseball caps.
Audio intro: Oasis, "(Probably) All in the Mind" Audio interstitial: The Rose Petals, "The Man Who Sold the Hats" Audio outro: First Aid Kit, "Ugly"
Link to story about Rays’ “notable achievement” Link to Jannis in MLB The Show 21 Link to Ben on mid-PA pitching changes Link to video of Hamilton catch Link to shift against Gallo Link to Vlad prediction clip Link to full mic’d up video Link to Ben on in-game interviews Link to BP on López and Cabrera Link to story on López and Art Schallock Link to story on Gray getting changed Link to FanGraphs mock draft Link to info on the new Muncy Link to video of Ohtani at-bat and homer Link to story on Ohtani and Stassi Link to Ohtani curve/fastball overlay Link to Ben on the .500-ish Angels Link to tweet about economical grand slams Link to Stat Blast spreadsheet Link to WaPo on the “Local Market” caps Link to BP on the “Mixed Font” caps Link to Hat Club website Link to story about Griffey’s backward cap Link to Shakeia Taylor on hats and hip-hop culture
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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about their long weekends, birthday boy (and two-way All-Star) Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s perplexing timing when it comes to announcing awards and All-Star honors and scheduling special events such as the Futures Game and the amateur draft, the Yankees’ continuing troubles, pitchers who’ve struggled since the sticky stuff crackdown began, and Kyle Schwarber falling prey to the hamstring-injury epidemic. Then (35:34) they “Meet a Major Leaguer” up close by bringing on Mickey Jannis, right-handed knuckleball pitcher for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, who discusses making his major league debut for the Baltimore Orioles last month, his journey from the 44th round to indy ball to the O’s, how he learned the knuckleball, how high-speed video has helped him refine his unusual pitch, being inspected for sticky stuff, the future of the knuckler, and more.
Audio intro: The Decemberists, "Down on the Knuckle" Audio outro: Hinds, "Finally Floating"
Link to story about all-Star Ohtani Link to video of Ohtani steal/walkoff Link to video of Walsh/Ohtani hug Link to video of Ohtani whiff Link to story about the Yankees and analytics Link to Lindsey Adler on Cole and Chapman Link to video on Cortes Link to video of Cortes vs. Ohtani Link to Devan Fink on Richards Link to BP article on hamstring strains Link to Derek’s hamstring injury visualization Link to Ben on Jannis and the knuckleball Link to Jannis’ Twitter account Link to Jannis’ first MLB out (and K) Link to Jannis’ spring training knuckler Link to Jannis’ knuckler grip Link to Jannis’ knuckler on high-speed video Link to story on Jannis’ “perfect” loss Link to Ben on the Castellanos meme Link to new Castellanos clip
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about passing the halfway point of the regular season, the early effects of the sticky-stuff crackdown, a historically high-scoring day, the white-hot Brewers (and Willy Adames) and the red-hot Nationals (and Kyle Schwarber), a Germán Márquez gem, and a study on how kids become fans that helps explain how Ben and Meg became co-hosts. Then they talk to two academics who have used baseball data to study psychology: Professor James Archsmith of the University of Maryland (33:37) on umpires and decision fatigue, and Professor Hengchen Dai of the UCLA Anderson School of Management (56:33) on midseason trades and performance resets (plus a postscript about foreign-substance beef between Josh Donaldson and Lucas Giolito).
Audio intro: Cheap Trick, "Hard to Tell" Audio interstitial 1: Kelley Stoltz, "Decisions, Decisions" Audio interstitial 2: Tri-State, "Start Again" Audio outro: Lucy Dacus, "Going Going Gone"
Link to Jeff Sullivan on preseason projections Link to Jeff on predicting second-half records Link to Eno Sarris on sticky stuff Link to Rob Arthur on sticky stuff and the Dodgers Link to Ben on the PED era Link to Will Sammon on the Brewers Link to Brewers predicting a home run Link to Brewers predicting a comeback Link to Eric Cummings data on defensive turnarounds Link to Sam Miller on “True Wins” Link to study on age and fandom Link to Professor Archsmith’s website Link to paper on umpires and decision fatigue Link to study on umpires and air quality Link to article about umpires and air quality Link to study on umpires and racial discrimination Link to article about discriminatory umpires study Link to study on umpires and status bias Link to study on umpires and the Gambler’s Fallacy Link to Freakonomics on umps and the Gambler’s Fallacy Link to study on players and rational inattention Link to Rob on pitchers taking their time Link to Rob on hitters taking their time Link to Professor Dai’s website Link to study on trades and fresh starts Link to article about trades study Link to Donaldson/Giolito story
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s experience attending the worst start of Shohei Ohtani’s MLB career, then (15:04) discuss the Dodgers’ and MLB’s response (and their own reactions to) this week’s serious assault allegations against Trevor Bauer. (Warning: This episode contains some swears, starting at 18:18.)
Audio intro: Vanessa Peters, "Rather Bad Day" Audio outro: Teenage Fanclub, "Tears Are Cool"
Link to Jay Jaffe on the Ohtani game Link to Twitter thread on traveling to see Ohtani Link to the RAINN hotline Link to the National Domestic Violence Hotline Content warning: Some of the links below include detailed descriptions of alleged sexual and physical assault. Link to TMZ report about Bauer Link to The Athletic on the restraining order Link to The Athletic on the Dodgers, MLB, and Bauer Link to The Athletic on Bauer’s scheduled Sunday start
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Ben’s borderline excessive consumption of Angels games and the latest, greatest exploits of Shohei Ohtani, who and what is to blame for the Yankees’ ongoing struggles, Gerrit Cole’s performance post-sticky stuff, Hector Santiago becoming the first pitcher ejected for alleged foreign substance use, a Triple-A umpire’s broken-belt ejection, Zach McKinstry keeping his eye on the ball, the Tigers’ recent respectability, and more.
Audio intro: Frank Sinatra, "Bewitched" Audio outro: Bombadil, "Leather Belt"
Link to Ohtani homer on Friday Link to Ohtani homer on Sunday Link to Ben’s article on Ohtani Link to Ohtani Twitter stan account Link to Ohtani WAR pace graphic Link to Santiago article Link to second Santiago article Link to article on Ottavino trade Link to Lindsey on the Yankees’ offense Link to Lindsey on LeMahieu Link to belt/ejection video Link to belt/ejection blog post Link to Matsuda article Link to McKinstry quote Link to batter ball-tracking research
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the brief big league stay of knuckleballer Mickey Jannis, Joey Votto’s predictions, decline, and reminders of mortality, Greg Maddux forecasting foul balls, and the states of the Cubs and Dodgers post-combined no-hitter. Then they answer listener emails about whether MLB regrets making Statcast data publicly available in the wake of scandals about the ball and foreign substances, why coaches don’t visit hitters mid-inning the way they visit pitchers, why WAR isn’t tailored to individual teams, and how much worse rooting for a terrible team is than rooting for one that’s merely bad, with closing banter about Aaron Nola tying the consecutive-strikeout record and the potential for a seven-inning game to thwart a pitcher’s attempt to record a 21-strikeout outing.
Audio intro: Tokyo Police Club, "Can’t Stay Here" Audio outro: Isotopes, "Rule 21"
Link to Ben on Jannis and the knuckleball Link to Votto article Link to Maddux article Link to story about Nola Link to Sam on 21-strikeout games
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about MLB’s much-maligned All-Star Game uniforms and a pair of odd games, discuss the highs and lows of the first few days of MLB’s enforced foreign-substance ban (with special attention to Max Scherzer, Joe Girardi, and Sergio Romo), review Wander Franco’s debut and note the less-hyped arrivals of Lars Nootbaar and knuckleballer Mickey Jannis, relate a Jesse Winker home-run prediction, and close by exploring the ways in which the first-place Houston Astros, to the dismay of many Astros haters, are still very good.
Audio intro: Slothrust, "New Red Pants" Audio outro: The Donnas, "Hot Pants"
Link to ASG uniforms Link to Angels game story Link to Nats-Phillies game story Link to Manfred on sticky-stuff enforcement Link to Rizzo on Girardi Link to video of Scherzer and Romo Link to video of Ohtani inspection Link to Simpsons scene Link to Ben on Jannis and the knuckleball Link to Javier’s headshot Link to Zach Kram on the Astros
Ben Lindbergh and guest co-host Mike Ferrin of MLB Network Radio and the Diamondbacks’ broadcast crew discuss the D-Backs’ 17-game losing streak and more extended stretch of futility before bantering about Shohei Ohtani’s Player of the Week Award-winning performance and the potential for Ohtani to own All-Star Week, the call-up of (and expectations for) Rays infielder and MLB top prospect Wander Franco, and Manny Machado getting distracted by the wave. Then (50:09) Ben talks to biomechanics expert, former Dodgers analyst, and current CEO of Reboot Motion Dr. Jimmy Buffi about how sticky stuff enhances performance, whether Tyler Glasnow was right about the foreign-substance crackdown increasing injury risk, why injury rates are up this season, and whether Jacob deGrom’s ever-escalating velocity and series of minor injuries are causes for concern. Lastly (1:25:37), Ben talks to Rays pitching prospect Graeme Stinson about the lefty’s experience with sticky stuff, the wisdom and effects of the enforced foreign-substance ban, the experimental pickoff rules that have boosted base stealing in A ball, housing and nutrition in the minor leagues, and the founding and future of StatStak, the performance-tracking company he helped start during the pandemic.
Audio intro: Grateful Dead, "Loser" Audio interstitial 1: Electric Light Orchestra, "Hold on Tight" Audio interstitial 2: Dave Clark and Friends, "Rub it In" Audio outro: Sharon Van Etten, "Seventeen"
Link to list of longest losing streaks Link to Peacock plate appearance Link to Peacock backstory Link to Ohtani Player of the Week highlights Link to Ohtani’s Coors BP Link to FanGraphs Rays prospect ranking Link to Franco origin story Link to all-time list of youngest MLB players Link to video of Machado and the wave Link to Buffi’s first podcast appearance Link to Glasnow comments Link to Mike Sonne’s fatigue research Link to Buffi’s elbow/forearm study Link to Reboot Motion website Link to 2021 experimental rules Link to Jayson Stark on A-ball base stealing Link to Stinson’s Twitter account Link to StatStak website Link to Diamondbacks game story Link to article on sticky stuff and batted balls Link to average 4-seam spin rate by day chart Link to Meg on Lind Link to Maldonado video
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up on previous discussions about player predictions and game postponements, answer listener emails about a sticky-stuff pitcher protest, the talent level in the College World Series, the wave as a player-distraction device, a six-year-old who roots for walks, and when the Astros will stop being booed (with an aside about foreign-substance use and the Hall of Fame), then unload a Stat Blast about the Twins and teams with the most and least lineup turnover after Opening Day, before closing with a “Meet a Major Leaguer” segment on Mariners outfielder Dillon Thomas and Monarchs two-way great Bullet Rogan.
Audio intro: Franz Ferdinand, "Bullet" Audio outro: Franz Ferdinand, "Walk Away"
Link to article about Puckett’s called shot Link to article about Nationals delay Link to Jeff Passan on sticky stuff Link to Ben on mid-PA pitching changes Link to Ben on college player development Link to info on distracting free-throw shooters Link to post about swinging against deGrom Link to tweet about swinging against deGrom Link to story on the Astros being booed in Boston Link to Baseball Prospectus IL Ledger Link to Stat Blast data Link to SABR on the Cobb replacement game Link to news segment about Thomas Link to video of Burrows throwing (up) Link to Baseball-Reference Negro Leagues hub Link to Bullet Rogan’s B-Ref page Link to SABR on Rogan’s 1921 game Link to MLB.com on Negro Leagues two-way stars Link to THT on Negro Leagues two-way stars
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Jose Altuve forgoing a home run trot, then break down the details of MLB’s plan to enforce the rules against foreign-substance use starting on June 21, covering the pros and cons of putting that plan into action at midseason and opting to ban all substances, what the effects on offense will be, whether Tyler Glasnow’s injury presages many more arm injuries ahead, a Scott Boras metaphor, and much more. Then (51:07) they bring on EW listener and criminology scholar Josh Beck to explain what the principles of punishment and deterrence can tell us about the efficacy of MLB’s approach to preventing cheating.
Audio intro: John Lennon, "Cold Turkey" Audio interstitial: Grateful Dead, "Victim or the Crime" Audio outro: Paul McCartney & Wings, "Spin it On"
Link to video of 2012 Morse homer Link to video of Altuve homer Link to details of MLB’s plan Link to Ben on sticky stuff Link to Jeff Passan on sticky stuff Link to Boras statement Link to info on deterrence Link to paper on deterrence theory Link to five findings about deterrence Link to paper on cheating in baseball