Ben Lindbergh talks to Jacky Bing-Sheng Lee, translator of the traditional Chinese edition of Ben’s book The MVP Machine, Hyunsung Kim, translator of the Korean edition of The MVP Machine, and Brendan O’Connor, assistant professor and linguistic anthropologist at the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University, about the challenges of translating a baseball book from English into other languages, how Jacky and Hyunsung got jobs in baseball and became translators, the ascendance of the CPBL and the KBO on the international stage, linguistic “borrowing” in baseball, the cultural conversations surrounding baseball bilingualism, the greatness of Korean baseball drama Stove League, and much more.

Audio intro: Field Music, "Share the Words"
Audio outro: Joel Plaskett, "So Many Words"

Link to Jacky’s post in the Facebook group
Link to Jacky’s baseball blog
Link to Hyunsung’s list of American baseball books available in Korean
Link to Chinese edition of The MVP Machine
Link to Brendan’s ASU faculty page
Link to Brendan’s Sapiens article
Link to Part 1 of Sung Min Kim’s KBO series
Link to Part 2 of Sung Min Kim’s KBO series
Link to stream Stove League
Link to paperback English edition of The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about why MLB reportedly isn’t interested in short-term expansion and an observation about Tyler Glasnow, Martin Shkreli, and Cillian Murphy, then review the accuracy of last year’s annual ESPN MLB insiders survey, predict and assess the responses to the just-released, latest edition of the survey, answer a listener email about the cutoff for “young” players, and share a Stat Blast about Byron Buxton and the lowest on-base percentages by league-average hitters (plus an addendum on the longest baseball player Wikipedia pages).

Audio intro: Oasis, "Stay Young"
Audio outro: The Just Joans, "No Longer Young Enough"

Link to Stark’s story about Dombrowski
Link to story about NBA expansion
Link to Sam on the Crasnicks in 2012
Link to Sam on the Crasnicks in 2014
Link to last year’s Rogers MLB insiders survey
Link to this year’s Rogers MLB insiders survey
Link to Ben on young hitters and aging curves
Link to lowest OBP list
Link to lowest OBP+ list
Link to longest baseball player Wikipedia pages

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about ballpark renaming, follow up on their discussion about managers getting fired for their actions in a single game, discuss how the history of baseball’s sabermetric movement predicts the trajectory and ramifications of analytics use in football and other sports, and reflect on the significance of the Phillies hiring Sam Fuld as their new general manager, what the return of ex-player high-ranking execs may portend for front-office diversity, and Fuld’s lengthy Wikipedia page, then (51:15) talk to Driveline Baseball hitting intern and college baseball player Luisa Gauci about her multi-continent baseball odyssey from Australia to the U.S., her quest to bring data-driven development to women’s baseball, rewriting the scouting scale, why she’s determined to keep playing baseball, her work at Driveline, hitting technology vs. pitching technology, and more.

Audio intro: Mattiel, "Just a Name"
Audio interstitial: Of Montreal, "It’s Different for Girls"
Audio outro: Neuseiland, "Write it Down (Radio Sonic)"

Link to article about the Coliseum’s new name
Link to 2003 Grady Little article
Link to Ben on revisiting the Grady Little game
Link to EW episode about sabermetrics breaking baseball
Link to EW football vs. baseball analysis interview
Link to football Multisport Sabermetrics Exchange episode
Link to The Athletic on the new Phillies front office
Link to story on the GM demographics shift
Link to Breslow interview
Link to Jalen Rose analytics comments
Link to Jackie Bradley Jr. tweet
Link to article about front-office hiring
Link to Fuld’s Wikipedia page
Link to Lookout Landing article
Link to Luisa’s scouting scale presentation
Link to Baseball For All website

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up briefly on their recent Scott Boras banter, then answer listener emails about what a manager has to do to get fired because of a single game, possible scenarios in which Mookie Betts enters the Hall of Fame representing the Red Sox instead of the Dodgers, whether nature excursions could be beneficial to teams, what baseball would be like with weight classes for players, which party or parties to root for in conflicts between MLB and the minor leagues, how many players they could recognize from their mechanics if they saw them only as stick figures, and more, plus a Stat Blast about the most itinerant journeymen.

Audio intro: Super Furry Animals, "Happiness is a Worn Pun"
Audio outro: Jamestown Revival, "Journeyman"

Link to Lucien Favre story
Link to Jay’s post on Betts
Link to Cueto graphic
Link to study on the southpaw advantage
Link to Francona’s comments about Cleveland
Link to journeyman Stat Blast data

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the news that MLB is belatedly designating the 1920-1948 Negro Leagues as major leagues (with a word from 1948 Negro Leaguer Ron Teasley), touching on the various reactions to MLB’s announcement, the positives and negatives of MLB’s approach to this process, the upcoming, complex integration of Negro Leagues stats with other major league stats, how the new classification could affect perceptions of the Negro Leagues and Negro Leaguers, and more. Then they banter about reports of a possible delayed start to the 2021 season and a deluge of Scott Boras analogies and jokes before wrapping up with a few final thoughts on the Negro Leagues news and a reflection on how their understanding of MLB’s role in the larger baseball landscape has evolved in 2020.

Audio intro: The Beach Boys, "It’s About Time"
Audio outro: The Lemonheads, "It’s About Time"

Link to Ben’s report on the new Negro Leagues designation
Link to Ben’s previous report on reclassifying the Negro Leagues
Link to MLB’s press release
Link to the Seamheads Negro Leagues Database
Link to Ron Teasley’s Seamheads page
Link to Clinton Yates on the Negro Leagues news
Link to Randy Wilkins on the Negro Leagues news
Link to Andrea Williams on the Negro Leagues news
Link to Joe Posnanski on the Negro Leagues news
Link to story about integration’s effects on the Negro Leagues
Link to story about Hall of Fame voting on Negro Leagues players
Link to story about Negro Leaguers and the Hall of Fame
Link to Larry Lester EW interview episode
Link to The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues
Link to report about postponing Opening Day
Link to the MLBPA’s response
Link to Boras comments

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about secret baseball-playing robots and non-secret baseball-rooting robots, how coverage of NFL scoring changes compares to coverage of MLB scoring changes, and Meg’s research about changes in access to minor league games, follow up on the Mets signing James McCann, the Phillies hiring Dave Dombrowski, and the significance of those moves for the Mets, the Phillies, and the free-agent market, and discuss the Cleveland baseball team’s intention to change its name (eventually). Then (1:00:26) they welcome oldest living former big leaguer Eddie Robinson back to the show to discuss his 100th birthday, his new podcast, weathering the pandemic, serving in World War II, his memories of Larry Doby, Whitey Ford, Joe Morgan, Dick Allen, Ned Garver, and Charley Pride, and—with an assist from his wife Bette—the secret to 65 years of marriage.

Audio intro: Charley Pride, "A Whole Lotta Things to Sing About"
Audio interstitial: Florence + The Machine, "100 Years"
Audio outro: Simon & Garfunkel, "Mrs. Robinson"

Link to rooting robots video
Link to NFL scoring info
Link to Craig Edwards on McCann
Link to LeMahieu rumor
Link to Rob Arthur on the slow offseason
Link to Matt Gelb on Dombrowski
Link to Evan Drellich on minor league owners
Link to Meg and Ben Clemens on the minor leagues
Link to New York Times report about Cleveland
Link to Paul Dolan interview
Link to Jeff Passan on Cleveland’s name change
Link to Joe Posnanski on the old name’s origins
Link to Eddie’s podcast
Link to first EW interview episode with Eddie
Link to EW sign-stealing episode with Eddie
Link to EW interview episode with Garver
Link to SI on Charley Pride and baseball
Link to Eddie and Bette at the 1955 World Series
Link to video of Eddie and Bobby Brown
Link to MLB.com on Eddie’s 100th birthday
Link to BP on Eddie’s 100th birthday
Link to Craig Wright on Eddie’s 100th birthday
Link to Pages from Baseball’s Past
Link to Eddie’s autobiography

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about and the Phillies’ surprise hiring of Dave Dombrowski as their president of baseball operations, then (15:04) bring on Baseball America executive editor J.J. Cooper to talk about the ongoing overhaul of the minor leagues, the history of the relationship between the majors and minors, why MLB sought to consolidate its control over amateur ball and the minor leagues, the impact of the pandemic, the pending improvements in conditions for minor leaguers, the virtues of amateur ball versus affiliated ball, minor league owners as sympathetic figures, how the 120 affiliated teams were determined, efficiency vs. access to the sport, and whether baseball will be better or worse off in the long run.

Audio intro: Whitney, "Dave’s Song"
Audio interstitial: The Strokes, "Under Control"
Audio outro: The Orange Peels, "Take Me Over"

Link to Jayson Stark on the Phillies hiring Dombrowski
Link to a compendium of J.J.’s coverage
Link to J.J. on the 120 teams announcement
Link to Evan Drellich on the 120 teams announcement
Link to J.J. on how the 120 teams were chosen
Link to J.J. on what’s next for excluded teams
Link to J.J. on expanded player limits
Link to J.J. on the Staten Island Yankees lawsuit
Link to J.J. on the new amateur leagues
Link to J.J. on the origins of short-season ball
Link to J.J. on minor league player expenses
Link to J.J. on minor league facility upgrades
Link to Baseball America podcast
Link to preorder the Baseball America 2021 Prospect Handbook

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about “listening aggressively,” “progressing past just talking,” and other winter rumor terminology, contemplate what the “virtual Winter Meetings” look like, then break down several rumored or completed trades or signings, including Lance Lynn and Adam Eaton to the White Sox, Raisel Iglesias to the Angels, Carlos Santana and Mike Minor to the Royals, and James McCann to the Mets (touching on the competitive pictures for the Rangers, Royals, and Reds), plus a listener email about heckling José Bautista.

Audio intro: The Undertones, "Listening In"
Audio outro: Eric B. & Rakim, "Keep ‘Em Eager to Listen"

Link to Lindor report
Link to Springer report
Link to Sam on “drawing interest”
Link to FanGraphs Twitch happy hour
Link to Craig Edwards on the Lynn trade
Link to Ken Rosenthal report about Lynn
Link to Tony Wolfe on the Eaton signing
Link to Ben Clemens on the Santana signing
Link to Jay Jaffe on the Iglesias trade
Link to story about McCann’s framing makeover
Link to story about McCann’s improved framing
Link to Bautista video

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about MLB’s long-shot attempt to recoup COVID-related losses from its insurance providers, Tomoyuki Sugano getting posted, and why the Phillies’ rebuild has stalled, then (36:45) talk to Sean Gibson, the great-grandson of Hall of Famer and Negro Leagues great Josh Gibson and the executive director of the Josh Gibson Foundation, about his campaign to get MLB’s MVP award renamed after Gibson, how he learned about his great-grandfather’s life, why he decided to devote himself to honoring the legacy of his great-grandfather and the Negro Leagues, common misconceptions about Gibson, Gibson’s skill as a catcher, what-ifs about Gibson’s career, efforts to collect Negro Leagues stats, the centennial of the Negro Leagues, the Gibson Foundation’s programs, and more.

Audio intro: The Mountain Goats, "Insurance Fraud #2"
Audio interstitial: Dan Bern, "Josh Gibson"
Audio outro: Neil Young, "Goodbye Dick"

Link to AP story about MLB suing its insurance providers
Link to Rob Mains on the MLB lawsuit
Link to Craig Calcaterra on the MLB lawsuit
Link to story about minor league lawsuit getting dismissed
Link to FanGraphs international prospect rankings
Link to Wheeler trade rumors
Link to Jeff Passan on the Wheeler trade rumors
Link to Sam Miller on the Phillies’ rebuild
Link to Josh Gibson Foundation website
Link to Sean Gibson’s article for The Undefeated
Link to MVP petition
Link to Pittsburgh Magazine article about Gibson
Link to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about Gibson
Link to Ben on MLB reclassifying Negro Leagues stats
Link to Gibson’s Seamheads page
Link to Shakeia Taylor on Dick Allen
Link to Jay Jaffe on Allen

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley offer an update about Sam Miller’s status on the podcast, banter about the Rangers hiring former pitcher Chris Young as their new GM and play-by-play man Len Kasper’s move from Cubs TV broadcasts to White Sox radio broadcasts, and answer listener emails about how tanking teams could be more entertaining, the plausibility and value of a hitting counterpart to the pitching machine, the viability of baseball as a 24-hour service, and how different baseball would be if the dimensions of the strike zone didn’t vary by batter.

Audio intro: The Hold Steady, "Blackout Sam"
Audio outro: Murry Kellum, "Long Tall Texan"

Link to Sam’s announcement Twitter thread
Link to Sam’s ESPN archive
Link to Rangers press release about Young
Link to Young on pitching up in the zone
Link to Ben on Young in 2015
Link to Ben on moving the mound back
Link to Len Kasper report

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